Category: 2018

Director of the National Security Service of Armenia Artur Vanetsyan was elected President of the Football Federation of Armenia during the 17th extraordinary conference of the Federation.

Ruben Hayrapetyan, who had chaired the Federation for 16 years, was not present at the conference.

“I will spare no efforts so as we together succeed. During the last 2 months I with my team developed a successful program. Our vision is that we should give everyone an opportunity to play football. At least one football stadium should be in any community of our country”, the only candidate for the FFA President said in his speech, adding that serious attention will also be paid to women’s football.

Soon after the voting began for the Yerevan City Council election, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived at the 8/16 electoral district of the Armenian capital to cast his ballot.

“This election differs with the fact that the citizen is confident that it is him who will make the election and that his vote will not be rigged,” the PM told reporters at the polling station.

Asked to comment on the pre-election campaigning the Prime Minister said: “This campaign was a true campaign, and all forces realized that they had to fight for every vote, including the government. We too, as a government, understood that we had to fight for every vote. I believe that from now on passions will be high in Armenia ahead of campaigns because from now on elections in Armenia will be genuine,” he said.

This Yerevan City Council election voting is going to be the voting of the people’s _expression_ of will, and the people’s vote will be recorded, PM Nikol Pashinyan said on Facebook after casting his ballot, wishing good luck. “I hope that our citizens will have a very active participation in the voting, because undoubtedly you are the ones who will make the decision,” he said.

He expressed hope that citizens of Yerevan will realize the responsibility and seriousness of the moment and will go to the polling stations.

“Now I am going to New York [city], then I will depart for Dushanbe, where I will take part at the CIS heads of government summit and only at the weekend will I return to Yerevan. I am urging everyone to go vote and make their election, because this is a very important and responsible moment, and generally all elections are important and responsible, and the results of all elections will be formed through your votes,” the Prime Minister said, adding that he will be on his aircraft en route to the United States during the entire period of the voting and counting.

“I am relying on you that everything will be OK, that the voting will proceed without any incidents, in a calm atmosphere, with mutual smiles, with respect to each other,” the PM said.

National Security Service director Arthur Vanetsyan cast his ballot in the Yerevan City Council election.

Talking to reporters after voting, the intelligence chief said that he expects this election to express the will of the people and that a mayor of Yerevan will be elected by the vote of the people.

“No one will have any doubts in this regard,” he said.

Armenia’s foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan will visit New York City in the composition of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s delegation to participate in the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.

The FM is expected to have bilateral meetings with counterparts and other officials from a number of countries within the framework of the September 24-28 visit, the foreign ministry said.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will deliver remarks at the session.

Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ara Babloyan says that it is too early to speak about the early dissolution of parliament.

Asked about a possible dissolution of the legislature, the Speaker noted that working groups are currently set up, which must work in the direction of legislative amendments.

“It is still early to speak about the [early] dissolution of [parliament]. Political forces will address this issue in the future, while the process still continues,” he said.

Earlier on August 17, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that constitutional changes should take place ahead of early elections of parliament. According to the PM, the amendments will enable early elections to take place not only in the event of his resignation, but also in the event of a self-dissolution of parliament.

79,686 people, or 9,39% of the total number of voters, have cast ballots as of 11:00 in the Yerevan City Council election, the central electoral commission said.

848,343 people are eligible to vote in the election. Polling stations will be open until 20:00.

Artsakh Hovsepyan, the soldier of Artsakh who was killed by Azerbaijani shooting recently, has been posthumously awarded with the “Combat Service” medal by President Bako Sahakyan, the presidential office of Artsakh said.

Mayoral candidate from the My Step bloc in the Yerevan City Council election Hayk Marutyan has cast his ballot in the 08/47 polling station today.

“This is the first free and fair election in the last decades,” he told reporters.

“Are the votes which you are going to garner for the fact that you are Hayk Marutyan or because you have bene nominated by Nikol Pashinyan?” asked a reporter. Marutyan replied: “Politics is a team process, and people are voting for the team. The Prime Minister is a member of the board of Civil Contract [party], and is entitled to participate in the entire campaigning process. It is up to everyone to decide”.

Asked about a possible coalition, Marutyan said that they are ready to work in any format. “The most important thing for our team is to make Yerevan the city of our dreams, and through what path we will achieve it doesn’t matter. Therefore, we are ready to cooperate with everyone and to use bright ideas,” he said.

According to an earlier GALLUP survey, Hayk Marutyan and the My Step bloc are the leading candidates in the Yerevan election.

201,268 people, or 23,72% of the total number of eligible voters, have cast ballots as of 14:00 in the Yerevan City Council election, the central electoral commission said.

848,343 people are eligible to vote in the election. Polling stations will be open until 20:00.