YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. "The authors of the hooligan, criminal actions committed lately are either officials or officials' children," Ruzan Khachatrian, a Board member of the People's Party of Armenia (PPA), PPA Spokesperson, a member of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), stated at the April 7 press conference stressing that such people are convinced of their impunity and consider themselves above the law. "And that is the reason than makes me and my friends continue the political struggle," R. Khachatrian said. In her words, though hooligan actions were also committed 15 years ago, the current atmosphere is much worse. R. Khachatrian said that PPA was one of the first forces making part of ANC to propose first President Levon Ter-Petrosian heading the ANC electoral roll in the May 31 Yerevan Council of Elders elections. The party Spokesperson classed as natural the circumstance that Stepan Demirchian's name was mentioned in the second place, as, according to her characterization, S. Demirchian is a very popular person who succeeded in the 2003 presidential elections. "The forthcoming elections are not merely Mayor's elections: they are perceived as people's movement's regular stage," R. Khachatrian said. In response to the question of what strategy PPA will adopt if it does not win the elections the oppositionist stated that she does not think of "if-s." "ANC should win and that's all. There is rather big potential and all preconditions for it," R. Khachatrian said. She expressed the hope that they will manage to efficiently fight falsifications in the May 31 elections, though Gagik Beglarian appointed on Mayor's post "has great experience of rigging elections."

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