Injured Armenian Presidential Candidate Says He Will Not Ask To Postpone Election

Armenian presidential candidate Paruyr Hairikian was wounded in a shooting on February 1

YEREVAN -- Armenian presidential candidate Paruyr Hairikian, who was wounded in a shooting last week, says he will not ask the country's Constitutional Court to postpone the February 18 vote.

Talking to journalists in Yerevan on February 5, Hairikian said rumors that a special deal with authorities influenced his decision were "absurd."

On February 1, Hairikian told RFE/RL that he might use his right under the constitution to ask for a two-week postponement of the presidential election because of his medical condition.

Hairikian is one of eight candidates in the election, which incumbent Serzh Sarkisian is expected to win.

Hairikian, 63, who heads the Union of National Self-Determination Party, was not seen as a strong challenger in the election.