Washington Times, DC
from United Press International
May 13 2007
Observers: Armenian voting ‘improved’
Published: May. 13, 2007 at 3:25 PM
YEREVAN, Armenia, May. 13 (UPI) — Armenia’s election process has
improved but some issues still need to be resolved, said
international poll watchers.
Pro-presidential parties claimed the majority in Armenia’s
parliamentary election Saturday. The biggest winner was Prime
Minister Serzh Sarksyan, head of the Republican party, which will
control around 40 percent of the 131 seats in parliament, RIA
Novosti, the Russian news agency, reported Sunday.
The election was seen as a dress rehearsal for next year’s
presidential vote. Sarksyan, 52, a former welder, is backed by
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, who steps down next year.
International observers called the election an improvement over the
2003 election, which they said fell short of democratic standards.
"Some issues remain and more is needed to consolidate this
democracy," said Tone Tingsgaard of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe monitoring team.
Tingsgaard said a primary concern was the close relationship between
businesses and politicians.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
