YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The rival of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) in Yerevan Council of Elders elections is neither the Republican Party of Armenia nor Gagik Beglarian heading the RPA electoral roll, ANC representative David Shahnazarian stated at the April 3 press conference stressing that in all elections opposition's rival and enemy was falsifications and violence. "In that sense for us the May 31 elections will be a fight against organized crime," he said. In D. Shahnazarian's words, the fact that the authorities have already started using administrative levers illegally and collecting signatures for G. Beglarian is evidence of the "provincial way of thinking and poor condition" of the authorities. "I long ago stopped looking for a logic in the actions of the authorities, and I advise the same to journalists," the oppositionist said. D. Shahnazarian said that first RA President Levon Ter-Petrosian can receive 75% votes. As to the index of 35-40% sociologists mention, according to the speaker, one should not trust sociological surveys conducted among Armenia's population, as people are intimidated and even sympathizing with the opposition they state that they will vote for pro-governmental forces. Speaking about the change of the accusations brought to the defendants on the "case of the seven" and quash of the case on the part of RA Criminal Code Article 300 (seizing the power), D. Shahnazarian said that many political plans of authorities failed with it. Before the amendment of Articles 225 and 300, according to him, the regime tried to show that allegedly the opposition made an attempt of a coup.

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