Armenian parliamentary elections tainted by vote-buying - US

  05 April 2017    Read: 1122
Armenian parliamentary elections tainted by vote-buying - US
The US Embassy in Yerevan says it concurs with conclusions about vote-buying and pressure on voters during the Apr. 2 parliamentary elections in Armenia, the ARKA news agency reported Apr. 4.
The embassy in a statement said it concurred with the preliminary conclusions of the OSCE Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Mission that the elections were tainted by credible information about vote-buying and pressure on voters.

The US will continue to monitor and analyze reports from international and domestic election observers, as well as the adjudication of election grievances during the post-election period, the embassy said.

Five parties and four blocs participated in the Apr. 2 elections. This is the first nationwide election in Armenia after the constitutional reforms of 2015. The reforms provide for the transition to a parliamentary form of government after the expiration of term of office of the incumbent president of Armenia in 2018.

According to the preliminary data released by the Central Election Commission of Armenia, the ruling Republican Party received 49.12 percent of the votes, while the oppositional Tsarukyan Alliance gathered 27.32 percent.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation/Dashnaktsutyun (ARF) had 6.57 percent and the oppositional bloc Yelk (Way Out) 7.77 percent, enough for both to enter the parliament.

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