Election Campaign In Armenia Going On Normally – Speaker

ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN ARMENIA GOING ON NORMALLY – SPEAKER

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
May 7 2007

YEREVAN, May 7 (Itar-Tass) – The election campaign in Armenia is
going on "normally and naturally," to which testify interim reports
of international observer missions, chairman of the country’s National
Assembly, deputy head of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia Tigran
Torosyan stated here on Monday.

The parliament speaker noted that unlike the previous campaign,
during this one political forces on the whole manage to avoid
mutual accusations and insults. "Despite the growing tension, the
current campaign is distinguished for its participants tolerance,"
the official noted.

Torosyan believes that the new parliament will comprise six to eight
factions from different political forces. He thinks the new parliament
will have no deputy groups, because most of candidates to deputy seats
under the majority election system are members of that or other party.

The speaker highly assesses his party’s chances for success both
on a multiparty list under the proportionate system and in those
27 single-mandate majority constituencies where the Republican
candidatures have been nominated.

The next elections to the Armenian parliament will be held on May 12.

During them the country will elect 131 deputies to the National
Assembly; 90 parliamentarians are running under a proportionate and
41 – under a majority election system.