RESULTS OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Regnum, Russia
May 14 2007
Armenia’s President Robert Kocharyan congratulated three parties that
received majority of votes at the May 12 parliamentary elections. In
particular, he visited Republican Party headquarters that gained
32.8%. The Armenian president said that "voting for the Republican
Party, people gave their votes for continuation of economic and social
reforms in the country."
Members of the Prosperous Armenia Party that won 14.7% votes
were received by the president at his residence. Robert Kocharyan
congratulated them on the victory and said that, participating for
the first time in parliamentary elections, the party made substantial
success.
In a phone talk with Hrant Margaryan, member of the Bureau of the
Dashnaktsutyun Armenian Revolutionary Federation that received 12.7%,
the president noted that he found it positive that the federation
increased its presence in the parliament. The Armenian leader
expressed hope that Dashnaktsutyun would have effective dialog with
other political forces.
Apart from the Republican Party, Prosperous Armenia and Dashnaktsutyun,
the 5%-barrier was overcome by Orinats Yerkir (6.8%) and Heritage
(5.8%). The Republican Party won the majority in half of 41 single
member constituencies.
For many in Armenia, results received by the parties, which are now
represented in the parliament (pro-governmental United Labor Party
and oppositional National Unity and People’s Party) became unexpected.
It is noteworthy, international observers gave unprecedentedly high
assessment to the parliamentary elections in Armenia. At the same time,
opposition claims there were mass frauds. The oppositional Orinats
Yerkir Party that received 6.8% instead of the 12.6% in 2003 (after
the elections in 2003 Orinats Yerkir built a ruling coalition with
the Republican Party and Dashnaktsutyun, but in May 2006 it went to
opposition and its leader lost the post of the parliamentary chair)
announced its intention to appeal against the elections in the
Constitutional Court.