Voice of America
Feb 19 2008
Exit Poll Shows Armenian PM Winning Presidential Election
By VOA News
19 February 2008
A British-run exit poll shows Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan
emerging victorious in Tuesday’s presidential election, with 57
percent of the vote. If those numbers hold, Mr. Sarkisyan will avoid
a run-off.
The polling agency Populus, working for Armenian television, says Mr.
Sarkisyan’s closest opponent, opposition leader and former President
Levon Ter-Petrosian, appeared to be winning slightly more than 17
percent shortly after polls closed.
There were nine candidates on the ballot.
First official results are expected early Wednesday.
Even before polling stations closed, Mr. Ter-Petrosian was telling
reporters in Yerevan of "thousands of voting violations" in today’s
poll. A Ter-Petrosian spokesman said pro-government activists had
assaulted dozens of opposition supporters in various parts of the
country.
Incumbent President Robert Kocharian is barred from running for a
third term. He has endorsed Mr. Sarkisyan as his successor.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
