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Armenia holds presidential election
19 Feb 08
YEREVAN (AFP) -- Armenians voted for a new president on Tuesday with
Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, the outgoing leader's most trusted
ally, seen as the frontrunner after a bitterly fought campaign.
Voters went to the polls on a windy day in Yerevan, capital of the
mountainous ex-Soviet republic of three million people. Polls were
to close at 8:00 pm (1600 GMT) and first results were expected early
Wednesday.
By 2:00 pm, voter turnout had reached 36.48 percent, the Central
Elections Commission reported. Armenia has no law on minimum turnout
for the vote to be considered valid.
Pre-election polls showed Sarkisian well ahead of his eight rivals in
the race to replace President Robert Kocharian, who is constitutionally
barred from taking a third five-year term.
But analysts said Sarkisian may struggle to win the more than 50
percent required to avoid a risky second round run-off.
His two main rivals are former president Levon Ter-Petrosian and
former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian. Both have accused the
Sarkisian campaign of abusing state resources, a charge the prime
minister denies.
"The most important thing is not how many rounds there are, but that
the election is conducted well and that its results are trusted by
the people," Sarkisian said after voting.
Ter-Petrosian also predicted victory, despite what he said were major
violations on election day.
"I will win in the first round," he said, adding that his campaign
team had already gathered concrete evidence of vote-rigging.
"Very dirty things are happening," he said.
Opposition candidates have warned they will call street protests if
they believe the vote is unfair, raising fears of unrest.
At one Yerevan polling station Roland Serobian said he voted for
Sarkisian because of the prime minister's promises to improve living
standards.
"I trust him. He's a man of his word," the 76-year-old said. "Look
how much he has already done."
Others accused the government of being corrupt and authoritarian and
said they supported opposition candidates.
"Only Levon can win and free us from this regime," said 45-year-old
Sos, declining to give his last name. "We've had enough. It's time
for them to go."
Kocharian hand-picked the 53-year-old prime minister to succeed him
after Sarkisian's Republican Party of Armenia swept parliamentary
polls last May.
The two are long-time associates, both hailing from Azerbaijan's
rebel Nagorny Karabakh region.
Together they have been credited with ensuring relative stability
and strong economic growth.
Analysts predict Sarkisian will follow in Kocharian's footsteps,
pursuing close ties with Moscow and a hawkish stance in relations
with neighbouring Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The latter two have cut diplomatic ties and sealed their borders with
Armenia over its support for Armenian separatists in Nagorny Karabakh.
Ankara has also been angered by Yerevan's campaign to have the World
War I-era mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire recognised
as genocide.
Ter-Petrosian has called for a more conciliatory approach with
Azerbaijan and Turkey, saying the government has left Armenia deeply
isolated.
Pre-election polls showed Sarkisian hovering at around 50 percent
support, with Ter-Petrosian and Baghdasarian trailing at 10-15 percent.
About 600 foreign observers were monitoring the vote and the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was to
issue a report on the election Wednesday.
19 Feb 08
YEREVAN (AFP) -- Armenians voted for a new president on Tuesday with
Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, the outgoing leader's most trusted
ally, seen as the frontrunner after a bitterly fought campaign.
Voters went to the polls on a windy day in Yerevan, capital of the
mountainous ex-Soviet republic of three million people. Polls were
to close at 8:00 pm (1600 GMT) and first results were expected early
Wednesday.
By 2:00 pm, voter turnout had reached 36.48 percent, the Central
Elections Commission reported. Armenia has no law on minimum turnout
for the vote to be considered valid.
Pre-election polls showed Sarkisian well ahead of his eight rivals in
the race to replace President Robert Kocharian, who is constitutionally
barred from taking a third five-year term.
But analysts said Sarkisian may struggle to win the more than 50
percent required to avoid a risky second round run-off.
His two main rivals are former president Levon Ter-Petrosian and
former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian. Both have accused the
Sarkisian campaign of abusing state resources, a charge the prime
minister denies.
"The most important thing is not how many rounds there are, but that
the election is conducted well and that its results are trusted by
the people," Sarkisian said after voting.
Ter-Petrosian also predicted victory, despite what he said were major
violations on election day.
"I will win in the first round," he said, adding that his campaign
team had already gathered concrete evidence of vote-rigging.
"Very dirty things are happening," he said.
Opposition candidates have warned they will call street protests if
they believe the vote is unfair, raising fears of unrest.
At one Yerevan polling station Roland Serobian said he voted for
Sarkisian because of the prime minister's promises to improve living
standards.
"I trust him. He's a man of his word," the 76-year-old said. "Look
how much he has already done."
Others accused the government of being corrupt and authoritarian and
said they supported opposition candidates.
"Only Levon can win and free us from this regime," said 45-year-old
Sos, declining to give his last name. "We've had enough. It's time
for them to go."
Kocharian hand-picked the 53-year-old prime minister to succeed him
after Sarkisian's Republican Party of Armenia swept parliamentary
polls last May.
The two are long-time associates, both hailing from Azerbaijan's
rebel Nagorny Karabakh region.
Together they have been credited with ensuring relative stability
and strong economic growth.
Analysts predict Sarkisian will follow in Kocharian's footsteps,
pursuing close ties with Moscow and a hawkish stance in relations
with neighbouring Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The latter two have cut diplomatic ties and sealed their borders with
Armenia over its support for Armenian separatists in Nagorny Karabakh.
Ankara has also been angered by Yerevan's campaign to have the World
War I-era mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire recognised
as genocide.
Ter-Petrosian has called for a more conciliatory approach with
Azerbaijan and Turkey, saying the government has left Armenia deeply
isolated.
Pre-election polls showed Sarkisian hovering at around 50 percent
support, with Ter-Petrosian and Baghdasarian trailing at 10-15 percent.
About 600 foreign observers were monitoring the vote and the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was to
issue a report on the election Wednesday.