President, PM vote in referendum, Heitage leader tears ballot

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Serzh Sargsyan voted in the referendum on amendments to Armenian constitution. The President arrived at a polling station accompanied by his wife, Rita Sargsyan.

Sargsyan refrained from comments, promising to answer the journalists’ questions after the referendum.

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan also cast a ballot at the referendum, telling the journalists he voted for the stable future and development of the country.

“We took our best efforts to provide transparency of the vote, with no serious violations reported so far. Armenia’s leadership is ready to accept any outcome,” he said.

Abrahamyan further criticized the opposition’s statement suggesting the adoption of constitutional reforms will give rise to clashes throughout the country.

The leader of the Armenian National Congress, ex-President Levon Ter-Petrossian urged all Armenian people to vote. “The more people show up at the referendum the more objective the results will be,” he stressed.

The second President of Armenia Robert Kocharian refused to cast a ballot, having announced the amendments to be detrimental to the future of the country.

Meanwhile, the leader of Heritage party Raffi Hovannisian tore the envelope with the ballot apart and dropped into the ballot box, saying “For the sake of the Republic of Armenia.”

He explained the move to be an expression of his civilian protest against the Republican Party state, currently in agony. “The system based on one person, one group and one party, promoted by the referendum held with major violations is unacceptable to me as a citizen,” he noted, slamming the “unprecedented pressure exerted on the public in the context of the referendum.” Hovannisian said he hopes for the journalists’ expertise in “catching the culprits red-handed.” He also urged the public to participate in the 8 pm rally at the Republic Square “to signal the start of changes in the country.”