SARKISYAN WINS ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL POLLS

RIA Novosti
13:13 | 20/ 02/ 2008

YEREVAN, February 20 (RIA Novosti) – Armenian Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkisyan has won February 19 presidential elections, the country’s
central election commission announced on Wednesday.

With 100% of the vote counted, Sarkisyan was declared the winner with
52.86% (863,000 votes). His nearest rivals, Armenia’s first president
Levon-Ter-Petrosyan and ex-parliamentary speaker Artur Bagdasaryan
received 21.5% (351,300 votes) and 11.6% (272,300 votes), respectively.

Vaan Ovannisyan, a deputy parliamentary speaker and a member of the
Dashnaktsutyun party’s bureau, garnered 6.1% (100,900 votes). Five
other candidates failed to clear the 1% hurdle.

A total of 1.67 million people took part in the country’s elections,
with voter turnout of 69.2%. The polls were monitored by 14,000
observers from 39 local and six international organizations.

The final protocol was signed by six of the seven members of the
election commission.