YEREVAN, MARCH 19, NOYAN TAPAN. For the Armenian National Congress (ANC) Yerevan council of elders elections are not means of seizing Mayor's post, but an occasion to prove that it was first President, ANC leader Levon Ter-Petrosian who won the 2008 presidential elections. Vahagn Khachatrian, a member of the Alternative political-public initiative, an ANC representative, the former Yerevan Mayor, stated at the March 19 press conference. According to him, judging by the circumstance that in the 2008 elections L. Ter-Petrosian received most of votes in Yerevan and the authorities always had difficulties in rigging the elections in Yerevan, the ANC victory in the May 31 elections is beyond any doubt. "Winning the council of elders elections we will continue demanding the authorities' resignation and special state elections," the opposition figure said. According to his prediction, the authorities will not be able to resist the political and socio-economic challenges faced by the country and as a result will agree to go to special presidential elections. Those elections, according to V. Khachatrian, will be held either in 2009 or at the worst in early 2010. Touching upon ANC's and Zharangutiun's discussions on running for Yerevan council of elders elections with a common electoral roll, the former Mayor expressed the hope that these two political forces, nevertheless, will find common verges. V. Khachatrian repeated that not a problem of a post will be solved, but Armenia's further fate will be decided on May 31.

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