A criminal case instituted over the incident in Malatia-Sebastia district.

The group of assailants who attacked the members of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) in Yerevan's Malatia-Sebastia district (Constituency N 7) on Sunday acted under the direct order of the Republican Party (HHK) candidate Samvel Alexanyan, HAK candidate in Constituency N 1 Gayane Arustamyan said on Monday.

The candidate today urged the Central Election Commission to register yesterday's incident and withdraw the candidacy of Samvel Alexanyan from Constituency N7.

"At the same time, I declare here and now that I lay the entire burden of responsibility for the incident on Serzh Sargsyan," said Gayane Arustamyan.

The opposition candidate had invited two international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) who refrained from commenting on the incident and kept silent throughout the news conference.

"I demand that the European People's Party (EPP) respond to the incident. I also demand that the EPP -affiliated Armenian Rule of Law (OYK) and Heritage parties evaluate the occurrence," she said.

A criminal case has been instituted in connection with yesterday's incident in Malatia-Sebastia district during which a group of people attacked and injured HAK candidates Gayane Arustamyan and Babken Garoyan who were engaged in house-to-house canvassing.