Various news sources report that more candidates have come forward to contest the 19 February presidential election in Armenia. Others have been rejected or have seemingly come out of nowhere, but the main news is that veteran opposition politician Vazgen Manukian’s nomination has been put forward by his National Democratic Union party. RFE/RL reports that Manukian took the opportunity to again attack both the current and previous president.

Widely considered to have actually won the 1996 election that saw Levon Ter Petrosian secure a second term in office, Manukian said that there is no difference between the two regimes which have controlled Armenia since Independence was declared in 1991. Indeed, RFE/RL quotes him as saying, the system of corruption and falsified elections is the same.

Speaking at the congress of his National-Democratic Union (AZhM), Manukian urged both political forces and the public “to rally around ideas rather than personalities”, which he said is the only guarantee of success.

[…]

“1998 was conditioned by 1996, the October 27 [parliamentary killings] are conditioned by 1998, the banners at the 2007 election,” Manukian charged.

He went on to say that despite the “power change” made in 1997, the system remained the same.

“Electoral mechanisms in Armenia do not work and the power is still concentrated in the hands of a small number of people,” Armenia’s ex-premier said.

The full post is available on the Armenia Election Monitor 2008.