No written complaints received by Armenian election commissions

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Central Election Commission has received no written complaints about irregularities in the presidential election so far, said Tigran Mukuchyan, the head of the commission. 

“As for the information emerged on various websites about irregularities, these reports were in the center of our attention, they were analyzed by appropriate state agencies, particularly the police department and the prosecutor’s office,” he said. 

Mukuchyan said some explanations were already given. “But all these cases were connected with separate irregularities at separate polling stations,” he said.  

The highest post in the country is contested by seven candidates. The top contender is the incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan, who is chairman of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA). Other candidates are Heritage party chairman Raffi Hovannisian, leader of Freedom party, former prime minister Hrant Bagratyan, former foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Arman Melikyan, National Self-Determination Union party head Paruyr Hayrikyan, Radio Hay director Andrias Ghukasyan and literature expert Vardan Sedrakyan. The eighth candidate, National Unity Party leader Aram Harutyunyan, withdrew from the race on February 8. 

There is no minimum voter turnout threshold in order for the elections to be valid and if a candidate wins more than 50% of the first round vote he will be elected president. A total of 2, 505, 980 people are entitled to vote. Under Armenia's election code, the day of the presidential elections is a non-working day. According to the Armenian law, the preliminary results will be announced February 19 no later than at 8 pm. and the final results will be announced seven days after the election. -0-