Over 25,000 citizens added to list of voters over 8 months in Armenia: Police

YEREVAN, January 10. /ARKA/. The preliminary list of Armenian voters was filled out by another 25, 053 citizens from  6 May 2012 to 6 January 2013, Police said yesterday.

As to the parliamentary elections, the number of constituents accounted to 2, 485, 844 in the republic.

Some 60, 645 citizens were included into the list of voters as they received their passport or demobilized ( of them 29 986 reached the age of 18).
At the same time, due to death or on the basis of applications or some other reasons, 35, 592 voters were removed from the list (of them 15, 572 passed away).

The presidential elections of Armenia will be held on 18 February at  1988 polling stations of 41 electoral districts.

Fifteen citizens submitted their documents to the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia to register as presidential candidates.

The day of the application deadline was last Friday, 6 p.m. local time (the same as Moscow time). The registration process opened January 4 and will end on January 14. The election campaign is to be kicked off on January 21 and end on February 16, 24:00 (12 a.m.).

The incumbent president, Serzh Sargsyan, is the main favorite in the upcoming presidential race. The ruling Republican Party of Armenia officially nominated Sargsyan on December 15. The motto of the incumbent’s election campaign is “Towards secure Armenia.”

Sargsyan’s opponents will be the former prime minister of Armenia and Freedom party leader Hrant Bagratyan, the former foreign minister and Heritage party leader Raffi Hovhannisian, the famous dissident in the Soviet times, Union for National self-determination party leader Paruyr Hayrikyan.

Narine Mkrtchyan, the chief of the National press club, the professor at Armenian State Pedagogical University after Khachatur Abovyan, is the first woman candidate to join the race.

The documents were also submitted by the leader of National Consent party Aram Harutyunyan, former foreign minister of Karabakh Arman Meliqyan, political scientist Andrias Ghukasyan, specialist in epos Vardan Sedrakyan, Kashatagh NGO chairman Robert Simonyan, pensioner Pavlik Sargsyan, unemployed Robert Aharonyan and Mher Hayrapetyan.

The president of Armenian Combat Karate Kobudo National Federation Taron Abrahamyan  and Ruben Ayvazyan, a member of Prosperous Armenia party, announced Wednesday on quitting the presidential race. -0-

11:19 10.01.2013