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Election 2013: Armenian President Re-Elected Amid Accusations Of Vot

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  • Election 2013: Armenian President Re-Elected Amid Accusations Of Vot

    ELECTION 2013: ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RE-ELECTED AMID ACCUSATIONS OF VOTING IRREGULARITIES

    Global Insight
    February 19, 2013

    Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan was re-elected yesterday (18
    February) with more than 58% of the vote, according to official
    results released today (19 February). Former foreign minister Raffi
    Hovannisian came second, with 36.8% of the vote. Voter turnout was
    60%, defying fears of low voter engagement. The result was widely
    anticipated, and was aided by a relatively fragmented opposition and
    the withdrawal of some more popular candidates during the campaign
    (seeArmenia: 15 February 2013:). Hovannisian was quick to denounce
    the result, claiming widespread voting fraud. His spokesperson
    Hovsep Khurshudian stated, "These were shameful elections with a
    huge number of violations. The results of the exit poll do not show
    reality but what the authorities wanted." Election observers from the
    Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) commented
    that although the election was an improvement on previous ballots,
    there was a lack of effective competition, and checks against repeat
    voting were insufficient in some cases. Hovannisian's supporters
    stated they would protest against the result on Tuesday evening (19
    February), although as yet there has been no repeat of the violence
    following the 2008 presidential election, which left 10 people dead.

    Significance:The election is an improvement on previous ballots, and
    highlights the progress Armenia has made in recent years. This has been
    driven in part by strong pressure from the EU, with which Sargsyan is
    seeking to build closer relations. Despite his resounding victory,
    Sargsyan's second term is unlikely to be an easy one. He will face
    increasingly politically active young professional voters pressing
    for serious economic reforms, as well as calling for the removal of
    oligarchic monopolies. Sargsyan has been very effective in recent
    years in improving the tax collection system, but this has created a
    new class of taxpaying active citizens who will demand accountability
    and efficiency from the new government.

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