RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 9, No. 222, Part I, 30 November 2005
TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
Almost 10,000 people attended a rally in Yerevan on 29 November to protest the perceived falsification by the authorities of the outcome of the 27 November
referendum on a package of constitutional amendments, Noyan Tapan and RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. Opposition leaders, including former Prime Minister Aram Sargsian (Hanrapetutiun) and Stepan Demirchian (People's Party of Armenia), gave the authorities 72 hours (until Friday 2 December) to annul the outcome or risk mass popular protests that they hope will force the present leadership to step down. Also on 29 November, the Armenian NGO It's Your Choice unveiled the findings of its monitoring of the 27 November vote, which its leaders characterized as failing to meet international standards for democratic elections, Noyan Tapan reported. Meanwhile, President Robert Kocharian released a written address thanking the Armenian people for their "unequivocal and resolute" support of the amendments, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. He said the new revised constitution "paves the way for turning Armenia into a thriving country of the 21st century." LF
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