YEREVAN. – Armenia’s incumbent President, Serzh Sargsyan, was not elected; the winner was Raffi Hovannisian—who was declared runner-up to the winner, Sargsyan, in Monday’s presidential election, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote. First President—and opposition bloc Armenian National Congress leader—Levon Ter-Petrosyan stated this, during Saturday’s special convention of opposition Armenian National Movement party.

“So far, I only see the people’s action. The people are rising, just as they rose in the previous elections. And the [voting] results are unequivocal. Serzh Sargsyan was not elected; Raffi Hovannisian won. And Serzh Sargsyan, as it happened the last time, is an unlawful, an illegitimate president. If the [people’s] rising does not achieve its objective, he will be an unlawful president for five more years,” he noted. 

Ter-Petrosyan added that he does not observe any international condemning of the vote fraud.              

“On the contrary. My impression is that the West is legitimizing Serzh Sargsyan’s power. They ‘proofread’ every time, maintaining this unlawful regime, [and] destroy our people. It is apparent for me that Serzh Sargsyan is their preferred president, and they do not even conceal this,” Armenia’s First President said.    

In his view, the West would not have recognized his or Hovannisian’s coming to power because both men are guided by national interests, whereas Sargsyan is not.

At the same time, however, Levon Ter-Petrosyan also criticized Raffi Hovannisian and noted that he does not see Hovannisian’s action plan.   

“I had an action plan and it was a great plan. I had formulated that plan in clear manner,” he stated.