Raffi Hovannisian refused to meet Armenia’s president
11.03.2013,
15:25
Raffi Hovannisian, a former presidential candidate and a leader of oppositional Heritage party of Armenia, declined the meeting offer of incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan, spokesman for president Armen Arzumanyan reported Monday.
YEREVAN, March 11. /ARKA/. Raffi Hovannisian, a former presidential candidate and a leader of oppositional Heritage party of Armenia, declined the meeting offer of incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan, spokesman for president Armen Arzumanyan reported Monday.
“Head of President’s Staff called Raffi Hovannisian yesterday in order to inform him the president is officially inviting him to the meeting. We are sorry to state that Raffi Hovannisian refused from meeting for detailed and comprehensive discussion of all the current issues. We can do nothing else but hope that Raffi Hovannisian has correctly assessed the situation and clearly realizes the threats of de-facto refusal from the dialogue,” Arzumanyan said in a statement.
The first meeting between Hovannisian and Sargsyan was held on February 21. The officials discussed a broad range of issues related to the presidential election and the post-election period. They underscored the importance of staying committed to the Constitution and acting in line with laws.
According to the final results of the election, Armenia’s incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan won re-election Monday with 861,378 votes or 58.64%. Raffi Hovannisian, Heritage party leader, stayed behind with 36.74% of vote. However, Hovannisian didn’t recognize the results and declared on “Barevolution” (Revolution of greetings). Since February 20, Hovannisian’s supporters have been organizing rallies and protests in Yerevan and provinces of the country. -0-
