YEREVAN. – The National Assembly (NA) of Armenia is that body which can discuss any matter, including the post-election processes, NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan stated during Monday’s session of the parliament.  

“If there was election fraud [in the presidential vote on February 18], it means the representatives of all parliamentary parties, all proxies, were involved in it. We respect the right of 539,000 citizens who voted for [opposition Heritage Party] Chairman Raffi Hovannisian [who was declared runner-up, with 37 percent, to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan during the election, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote], and call upon you [that is, the Heritage members] to respect the right of those 861,000 citizens who cast their ballots in Serzh Sargsyan’s favor.   

“I respect Raffi Hovannisian very much, and the western technologies, which his headquarters used during the campaign, are welcome. [But,] now, it is inconceivable as to the technology that will be used for the post-election developments. It is time to put an end to browbeating [behavior]; let us sit around a table, [and] speak on what we are talking about. It seems to me you understand that these are not Raffi Hovannisian’s votes, [but rather] the votes of the whole opposition,” Abrahamyan said.   

He added that it is incomprehensible for him as to with what kind of logic the opposition says Hovannisian is the real winner of the election. 

“We are just waiting for the [Central Electoral Commission] CEC to announce [the official vote results]; subsequently, we are ready for a debate,” the Armenian parliament leader said.