Analyses of Victorious Marches(1996-2013)
All the post-election movements demanded the resignation of today's government and tried to get it with Raffi Hovannisyan's defined "victorious rallies".
"In these few days either we should manage to take some steps or to get the ball on our forehead", - in 1996 "National Democratic Union" ("NDP") party's leader Vazgen Manukyan said.
On September 25, 1996 Vazgen Manukyan was also the presidential candidate and did not agree with the electoral results, in which President Levon Ter-Petrossian won. He tried to do something the very same day. "There are a lot of excited people and I call on them to go and to capture presidential palace".
Vazgen Manukyan refused to occupy the governmental building. He suggested acting by law and led the triumphant march to the gates of the National Assembly. The opposition's recurrent victory march was ended on the spot.
In 2003, People's Party leader Stepan Demirjian was the leader of the opposition. He was in favor of changes of authorities only by constitutional way and was not was less critical and decisive. The recurrent presidential election was rigged in favor of Robert Kocharyan.
However the most decisive step towards victory was made on April 12, 2004. The movement led by Stepan Demirjyann took Baghramyan street, where water machines, barbed wires and special militaries were already waiting for them. The same day the second real victorious march in the history of Armenia was brutally suppressed by force.
The presidential elections of 2008 are considered the most rigged in the history of Armenia. Defeated presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrossian told about the determination to go till the end due to the official results winning president Serzh Sargsyan:" Are you standing? Till the end? I'm also standing up till the end".
Those who were standing stood until March 1. The victorious march was suspended by 10 innocent victims who were fighting for their rights of free choice. Serzh Sargsyan himself declared if there were not 10 victims, there would be more.
5 years later, today presidential candidate Raffi Hovannisian ends up all his meetings sending people home. Mr. Hovhannisyan told that Serzh Sargsyan will be a president only over his body. He is on a hunger strike and is going to terminate it tomorrow. Hunger-strike is accompanied by correspondence with the president and by open civil forum.
