Armenian National Congress not to nominate presidential candidate

The opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) bloc, headed by the first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, refused to nominate a candidate for the upcoming February 18 presidential election, news.am reports.

In a release sent to Armenian News - NEWS.am, the political union said they would not support any of the candidates, labeling the upcoming election as a “political farce.”

The ANC statement contains accusations against the current regime, as they refused to improve the electoral legislation and inflated voter lists leading to election fraud.

During the 2008 presidential election, the first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan was the main rival of Serzh Sargsyan. He did not recognize the victory of the latter, accusing authorities of massive fraud.

Leader of the opposition Levon Ter-Petrosyan organized rallies in the Liberty Square, in the center of Yerevan, which lasted until March 1. Thousands took to the streets demanding that official election results should be canceled. Ten people, including two law enforcers, became victims of confrontation.

The Armenian National Congress was established on the basis of political forces supporting Levon Ter- Petrosyan. Later, in the context of dialogue with the government, his opposition bloc hardly managed to poll 7 percent of votes during the 2012 parliamentary elections.

In one of his recent interviews Levon Ter-Petrosyan said he is already 68 and refused to participate in the elections.

At the same time, Hrant Bagratyan, head of the Freedom Party, which is a member of ANC bloc, announced his intention to participate in the presidential race.

Adapted from: Vestnik Kavkaza