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| March 5 |
In the second round of
presidential elections, incumbent President Robert Kocharian secures
a second five-year term with 67.5 percent of the vote. Opposition
challenger Stepan Demirchian, leader of the People’s Party of
Armenia (HZhK), garners 32.5 percent of the vote. Voter turnout is
estimated at nearly 66 percent, slightly higher than the February
19th first round vote. The opposition adamantly maintains that the
election was fraudulent and points to several reports of voting irregularities
and inconsistencies affirmed by observers from the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
(Sources:
TransCaucasus:
A Chronology, April 2003, Vol XII No 4) |
| March 5 |
Police officials reveal
that their investigation of the December 2002 murder of State Television
and Radio chief Tigran Naghdalian has resulted in the arrest of six
suspects. Among those arrested is a cousin of former Prime Minister
Aram Sarkisian, leading some opposition leaders to accuse the authorities
of trying to unfairly link the opposition with the murder. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, April 2003, Vol XII No 4)
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| March 6-7 |
Between 10-15,000 demonstrators
rally to support defeated presidential candidate Stepan Demirchian
and demand that the election be annulled for the “massive falsification”
of the vote. The opposition vows to force President Kocharian to resign
and dismiss his reelection as having nothing to do with the real choice
made by the Armenian people. The demonstrations continue with tens
of thousands reportedly turning out the next day. The U.S. Department
of State adds to the criticism, affirming that Washington is deeply
disappointed and explains that the Armenian government missed an important
opportunity to advance democratization by holding a credible election.
(Sources:
TransCaucasus:
A Chronology, April 2003, Vol XII No 4)
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| March 11 |
The
Armenian Central Election Commission releases its official results
from the March 5th second round of presidential elections. The results
report that incumbent President Robert Kocharian secured 67.44 percent
of the 1,548,570 total number of votes cast, defeating opposition
candidate Stepan Demirchian who received 32.56 percent of the vote.
In line with the opposition’s strategy to maintain their rejection
of the results, two opposition members of the nine-person Central
Election Commission refuse to endorse the official figures. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, April 2003, Vol XII No 4) |
| March 13 |
Several
Armenian opposition parties announce an agreement to forge a new electoral
bloc in preparation for the parliamentary elections set for May. The
opposition parties, comprising more than a dozen parties and groups
united in support of defeated People’s Party of Armenia (HZhK)
presidential candidate Stepan Demirchian, reveal plans to present
a single slate of candidates led by Demirchian, fellow presidential
candidate Aram Karapetian, and former Prime Ministers Vazgen Manukian
of the National Democratic Union and Republic (Hanrapetutiun) party
leader Aram Sarkisian. The new bloc’s composition is to be revealed
by the 16 March deadline for official candidacy nominations for the
75 seats to be elected by party list and the 56 individual constituency
seats. Although the opposition is now concentrating on the parliamentary
election, they are still contesting the recent presidential election
results, pursuing a formal appeal to the Armenian Constitutional Court
seeking an annulment of the presidential contest. According to supporters
of failed opposition candidate Stepan Demirchian, if the court fails
to overturn the results, they will appeal to the European Court of
Human Rights. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, April 2003, Vol
XII No 4)
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| March 13 |
The
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), an influential party in
strong support of recently reelected President Robert Kocharian,
forms a new political alliance with a small party led by wealthy
business tycoon Hrant Vartanian. According to ARF parliamentary
faction leader Aghvan Vartanian (no relation to the tycoon), the
ARF will include a number of parliamentary candidates from the smaller
party in its electoral list. The ARF is actively engaged in negotiations
with other pro-government parties, including Orinats Yerkir and
Republican Party (HHK) as well as other leading businessmen close
to the Armenian president. The alliance with Hrant Vartanian, a
tobacco magnate reportedly controlling some fifty percent of the
domestic tobacco market, provides the ARF with an important link
to Armenia’s business elite, united in their strong backing
for the president. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A Chronology, April
2003, Vol XII No 4)
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| March 20 |
Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanian admits that there are real serious problems
with the Council of Europe over the recent voting irregularities in
the presidential election but notes that the Kocharian government
is still resolute in its commitment to democracy and promises to correct
all the mistakes that happened during the election. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, April 2003, Vol XII No 4)
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| March 20 |
The
Armenian government issues a statement confirming reports that it
is set to transfer full control of six key hydroelectric power plants
to Russian ownership in exchange for the cancellation of $25 million
of Armenia’s total $40 million debt to Russia for supplies of
nuclear fuel for tits Medzamor nuclear power plant. The six power
plants along the Hrazdan River provide more than 15 percent of the
country’s total energy needs. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, April 2003, Vol XII No 4) |
| March 24 |
The
Constitutional Court issues a ruling to dismiss a court motion filed
by opposition candidate National Unity Party leader Artashes Geghamian
challenging the results of the recent presidential election. The court
challenge is the first of several similar motions seeking an annulment
of the election results currently pending before the court. Geghamian
received 17.7 percent of the first round vote, placing him in third
place in the field of nine candidates. (Sources: TransCaucasus: A
Chronology, April 2003, Vol XII No 4)
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| March 24 |
A
statement is released by the Armenian Ministry of Justice stating
that it will reject a demand by the Council of Europe for the annulment
of a Soviet-era law allowing for the arrest and short-term detention
of persons determined to have disrupted public order. The issue stems
form the recent arrests of opposition activists by the authorities
in an attempt to end opposition demonstrations and public rallies.
(Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, April 2003, Vol XII No 4)
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| March 26 |
The
Armenian parliament begins debate of the government’s latest
version of the draft media law as a group of three dozen journalists
stage a picket outside the building to draw attention to several
controversial measures reflected in the bill. The government has
significantly revised the bill, removing some of the most controversial
elements, including a measure that would create a new state agency
empowered to issue and revoke licenses for all media outlets. (Sources:
TransCaucasus: A Chronology, April 2003, Vol XII No 4)
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