Survey funds that more than a third of Tsarukian’s supporters will vote for incumbent president

YEREVAN, December 20. / ARKA /. More than a third of Armenian voters who could cast their ballots for Gagik Tsarukian, the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, will vote for the incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan, according to findings of a public opinion survey conducted by Baltic Surveys / The Gallup Organization and the Armenian Sociological Association (ASA).

Presenting the results of the poll conducted on December 5-16 among 1,020 eligible Armenian voters, a representative of Baltic Surveys / The Gallup Organization, Rasa Alishauskiene, said about 49 percent of respondents said they would vote for Serzh Sargsyan. 

Some 21 percent who did not know yet that Tsarukian decided against running for presidency, said they would vote for Prosperous Armenia leader. 

Some 36% of those respondents who planned to vote for Tsarukian named the incumbent president as an alternative to Tsarukian, when they were asked who they would vote for if Tsarukian refused to run.

According to the poll, 13% of those who were going to vote for Tsarukian could support ex-president Robert Kocharian, 9% could vote for Raffi Hovhanessian, the leader of Zharangutyun (Heritage) party and  4%  for the first post-Soviet president Levon Ter-Petrosian, the leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress.

Some 18% of respondents who intended to vote for Tsarukian, named other potential candidates and 20% were undecided.

In a December 12 statement Gagik Tsarukian said he will not stand as a candidate in the upcoming presidential election.  The statement said the party 

will not field a presidential candidate or support any other contender in the election scheduled for February 18.

According to the poll, 42% of respondents are determined to go to polling stations on February 18, 36%  are  likely to take part in the polls, 7%  will not take part ,  11%  are likely to go to the polls  and 4% are still swinging.

The survey was initiated and funded by ArmNews Armenian TV channel. Two more polls will be conducted in January and before the election, as well as an exit poll on the Election Day. 

The nomination of candidates for president will begin on December 25 and end on January 4. The campaign will begin January 21 and run until 24:00, 16th of February.

The current president was nominated December 15 officially by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia. Sargsyan’s slogan is for Secure Armenia. Tsarukian’s exit from the race is certain to solidify Sargsyan’s status as the election favorite. -0-