YEREVAN — Raffi Hovannisian, the leader of the opposition Zharangutyun (Heritage) party, went on hunger strike on Tuesday to demand that Armenia’s leadership hold fresh presidential and parliamentary elections that are also sought by another major opposition group.
Hovannisian announced the “freedom fast” in a speech at a Zharangutyun conference. He said he will indefinitely refuse food and stage an around-the-clock sit-in in Yerevan’s Liberty Square, the scene of massive antigovernment demonstrations held by another opposition leader, Levon Ter-Petrosian, following the disputed February 2008 presidential election.
Hovannisian could be seen seated on a bench in the square beside an Armenian national flag later in the day. Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service, he urged President Serzh Sarkisian to hold Armenia’s “first free and fair elections since 1995.”
“I’m not begging, asking or demanding,” he said. “But I expect that in this emergency situation the current authorities will come down and give back the Armenian people their votes and their voice. And I expect the authorities to expedite an emergency solution.
“At the same time I hope that the Armenian society will become the master of its own country and will not wait for anyone to deliver its rights and freedoms on a plate. They have to be won.”
The extraordinary hunger strike comes two weeks after Hovannisian and four other parliament deputies representing Zharangutyun walked out of Armenia’s National Assembly, accusing Sarkisian of seeking to illegally prolong his rule.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Get notified of the latest updates from MassisPost.

You May Also Like

SAS Holds Major Conference on “Armenians in America”

BOSTON — The Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) held an interesting and…

9th Circuit Court Dismisses Armenian Genocide Victims Insurance Suits

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — A California law that allows state courts to…

Armenian Minstrels and Armenian Echoes, Treasure Trove of Delights

By TJ Nelson World Music Central.org When was the last time you…

“Dr. Dennis Papazian: Reflections on an Armenian -American Journey”

FRESNO — Dr. Dennis Papazian, Professor Emeritus of History and founding Director…