ARMENIA ELECTION MARRED BY LACK OF COMPETITION – OBSERVERS
Financial Mirror
February 19, 2013 Tuesday
Armenia’s presidential election was an improvement on recent elections
in the former Soviet republic but was not genuinely competitive,
international observers said on Tuesday.
Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe said Monday’s election, in which
President Serzh Sarksyan was re-elected, was peaceful and generally
well conducted.
“However, the limited field of candidates meant that the election was
not genuinely competitive,” they said in a written statement. “The
candidates who did run were able to campaign in a free atmosphere and
to present their views to voters, but the campaign overall failed to
engage the public’s interest.” Several of Sarksyan’s potential rivals
decided not to run in the election because they feared the election
would be skewed in the president’s favour.
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