YEREVAN. – Following the press conference by Armenia’s opposition Heritage Party leader, former FM Raffi Hovannisian—who is declared runner-up to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, as a result of the presidential election that was conducted on February 18, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote and who declared a hunger strike on March 10 at capital city Yerevan’s Liberty Square—, which will be held Thursday at 5pm, Heritage’s representatives are preparing to finally pitch a tent on Liberty Square. National Assembly Heritage Faction leader Ruben Hakobyan said this to news reporters on Thursday.       

He noted that, prior to this, however, they are getting ready to apply to Yerevan Municipality and the Ministry of Culture to clarify some formalities.

Hakobyan stressed that they are correct from legal point of view, and therefore they can pitch a tent, but they do not wish to exacerbate the situation.

Heritage’s press secretary Hovsep Khurshudyan, on the other hand, noted that, by not allowing the pitching of a tent, the police are actually making a political decision. 

To note, the law enforcement did not permit Raffi Hovannisian to pitch a tent at Liberty Square on Thursday morning. 

Earlier, Heritage’s Vice-Chairman Armen Martirosyan, who was negotiating with the police, specifically had said as follows: 

“The government has made a ‘brilliant’ decision, according to which the pavement is considered a great historical and cultural value, and the tent, which has neither nails nor sharp edges, could damage the pavement.” 

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am