Xinhua, China
Feb 17 2008
Armenia geared up for upcoming presidential election
2008-02-18 00:38:36
YEREVAN, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) — Armenia has geared up for Tuesday’s
presidential election as the final large-scale pre-election
campaigning coming to an end in the capital of Armenia of the South
Caucasus nation on Sunday.
Large-scale rallies were organized on the Liberty Square in the
capital during the weekend attended by tens of thousands of
supporters of Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan and Levon Ter-Petrosian–
first President of Armenia, who are making last-minute effort for
canvassing as any campaign is forbidden on Monday.
Sargsyan, also Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia which
won a majority of seats in parliamentary elections last May, leads
the race joined by eight other candidates in opinion polls.
"We can’t say the situations now are perfect because Armenia is
so young, but I believe in Armenia’s future with our new president,"
Airmen Yesayants, a graduate of Armenian State University who
participated in Sunday’s rally for Sargsyan, told Xinhua.
No "color revolution" will occur in Armenia, President Robert
Kocharian, who is barred from running for a third five-year term,
said in an interview with national television channels on Sunday.
"Naturally enough, foreign countries and various forces abroad
have their preferred candidates, but we do not see any crude
interference in the election process," he said.
Observers from countries of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS), one of the six international observers monitoring the
election, released a second interim report on Sunday.
"In the opinion of CIS observers, the main preparations for the
Armenian presidential election are proceeding in line with the
electoral code. The country’s legislative and executive authorities
have created proper conditions for a free and open election
campaign," the report said.
Armenia’s electoral code "guarantees a solid foundation for free
and democratic elections," the CIS observers said.
Observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights issued an
interim report on Saturday which says that the Central Electoral
Committee (CEC) is well prepared for the forthcoming election.
The CEC said there are 2.32 million eligible voters of the
approximate 3 million people in the country, who will go to 1,923
polling stations in 41 electoral districts scattered around the
mountainous country. According to Armenian Election Code, citizens
living abroad do not have the right to take part in the election.
According to Socio service’s report last week, majority of
Armenian voters have decided on their candidate, but there were still
7 percent did not know whom to elect yet.
Editor: Mu Xuequan