A former lawmaker of Heritage, Anahit Bakhshyan, has been at the protest site since morning to organize the petition. But she wasn`t able to say how many signatures had been collected, noting that their number changes very quickly. “We collect [the signatures] and take them to the office. But the number changes all the time, so its isn`t right to indicate a figure,” she said.
Hovhannisian, who was Serzh Sargsyan`s key rival in last month`s presidential election, launched his Revolution of Salute after the official voting results were announced. He claimed that the election has been rigged to secure the incumbent president`s victory. Before declaring his hunger-strike, Hovhannisian conducted a tour to several regions of Armenia. Earlier, he had rallied crowds of supporters in Liberty Square to dispute the voting outcomes.
Commenting on the purposes of the petition, Bakhshyan said they expect to gather thousands of signature as a counterbalance to just one signature by Tigran Mukuchyan, the president of the Central Election Commission of Armenia.
“That is, if one signature is enough there for declaring a president, we say, with thousands of signatures, that the president is Raffi Hovhannisian,” she explained.
Asked about the document`s legal justification, Bakshyan said she was surprised to hear the question raised. “I am surprised that a question regarding the legal aspect is being raised in Armenia. This is just a step. Were there lawfulness, hunger-strike would not be a way for raising the country`s problems. But it is a fact Raffi wishes to prove something through self-sacrifice and to unite us all,” she added.
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