ARMENIAN ELECTIONS IMPROVE

Voice of America
May 18 2007

According to preliminary results, pro-government parties in Armenia won
the largest share of the vote in the country’s parliamentary elections.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that,
despite some problems, the vote was a clear improvement over previous
elections. None of Armenia’s elections have met international standards
since the country gained its independence with the collapse of the
Soviet Union in 1991.

U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey commented on the vote:

"We do congratulate the Armenian people on their parliamentary
elections and share with the international observers who were present
the view that the election infrastructure has been greatly improved
and that this is a step in the right direction towards meeting
international standards. We do hope, however, that the government
of Armenia will aggressively investigate allegations that are there
of electoral wrongdoing and prosecute the people in accordance with
Armenian law."

Preliminary results suggest that three pro-government parties and
two from the opposition met the five percent threshold of votes
required to enter the Armenian parliament. The Republican party
of Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian won approximately thirty-three
percent of the vote. The pro-government party of Gagik Tsarukian,
Prosperous Armenia, received around fifteen percent. And the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation garnered about thirteen percent of the vote.

Opposition parties trailed behind. The Rule of Law party obtained
nearly seven percent, followed by the Heritage party of former foreign
minister Raffi Hovannisian with almost six percent.

More than two-million Armenians voted in the parliamentary elections,
which were in closer accordance with international standards than
previous elections held in the country since 1991. This improvement
is a good basis on which to progress toward holding a free and
fair presidential election next year. In the meantime, however,
this parliamentary poll is still not a closed chapter. Part of the
election process is the careful consideration of, and response to,
issues raised in connection with the vote.

Armenian Elections Improve (MP3) Listen to Armenian Elections
Improve (MP3) Armenian Elections Improve (Real Player) –
Download Listen to Armenian Elections Improve (Real Player)
-voa1.cfm