New York Times, NY
May 20 2007

Armenia Backs Pro-Presidential Parties

By REUTERS
Published: May 20, 2007

YEREVAN, Armenia, May 19 (Reuters) – Armenian parties loyal to
President Robert Kocharyan won a large majority in last week’s
parliamentary election, the central election commission said
Saturday, citing the first official results.

The Republican Party, led by Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan, who is
the favored successor to Mr. Kocharyan, won 65 seats in the 131-seat
Parliament, election officials said. The pro-presidential Prosperous
Armenia Party came in second with 25 seats, followed by
Dashnaktsutiun with 16. Opposition parties won a total of 16 seats.

The vote, which took place last Saturday, is regarded as a test of
democracy in the Caucasian country and a dress rehearsal for a
presidential contest early next year when Mr. Kocharyan, 52, will
step down at the end of his second five-year term.

Mr. Sargsyan, also 52, was the focus of his party’s campaign. `I ask
for your vote of confidence’ was his slogan at election rallies. He
said this week that if he was put forward by the party to take part
in the presidential election, he would accept.

About 1.4 million of the 2.3 million electorate cast their votes. It
was the first election that the former Soviet Armenia has held that
Western observers said was fair. Voters gave credit to Mr.
Kocharyan’s allies for the years of strong economic growth he has
overseen, analysts said. The opposition is divided and its members
say they are not given fair treatment on tightly controlled
television.