Armenian presidential election, 2008
Encyclopedia
A presidential election was held in Armenia
on 19 February 2008. Prime Minister of Armenia
Serzh Sargsyan won the election in the first round according to official results, but this is disputed by former President Levon Ter-Petrossian
, who officially placed second.
The candidacy of Sargsyan was backed by incumbent President of Armenia
Robert Kocharyan (who is ineligible for a third consecutive term). Other candidates included Levon Ter-Petrossian
and Vahan Hovhannisyan
, the Vice President of the National Assembly, representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The largest opposition party, Rule of Law
, nominated former parliamentary speaker Artur Baghdasarian
as its candidate.
Raffi Hovannisian
from Heritage
and Aram Karapetyan
from New Times
also tried to register, but were refused the certificates of residence in Armenia over the last ten years by the Armenian Police Department of Passports. Prosperous Armenia
's Gagik Tsarukian
, a business oligarch
, whose party has the second largest faction in parliament endorsed Serge Sargsian.
Ter-Petrossian officially announced his candidacy in a speech in Yerevan
on 26 October 2007. He accused Kocharyan of running "an institutionalized mafia-style regime" that was responsible for massive corruption involving the theft of "at least three to four billion dollars" over the previous five years. He was also critical of the government's claims of strong economic growth and argued that Kocharyan and Sargsyan had come to accept a solution to the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh
that was effectively the same solution that he had proposed ten years earlier, although they had strongly opposed that proposal at the time.
Ter-Petrossian criticized Baghdasarian for running his own campaign instead of rallying behind Ter-Petrossian's candidacy, calling him a "traitor" and saying that he was effectively supporting Sargsyan. After Baghdasarian rebuffed Ter-Petrossian's ultimatum, a pro-Ter-Petrossian newspaper, Haykakan Zhamanak, insinuated that Baghdasarian was a "sexual deviant."
Aside from his own Republican Party (HHK), Sargysan was backed by Prosperous Armenia (BHK).
It was considered very likely that Sargsyan will finish in the first place in the first round, with either former president Ter-Petrossian or Baghdasarian, who ran on a pro-EU and pro-NATO platform, in second place. First results and reports from OSCE election observers were expected on 20 February 2008, and the final result was to be announced within seven days.
According to exit polls, Sargsyan won the election in the first round with 57%, with Ter-Petrossian coming in second with 17%. The opposition parties have stated that they consider the election result fraudulent. Ter-Petrossian, claiming victory, accused the government of rigging the election and called for a rally in Yerevan on February 20 that would protest the official results and celebrate his claimed victory. OSCE
and Western monitors said that the election was largely free and fair. However, the report from the OSCE-led observers also described vote counting as "bad or very bad" in 15% of observed polling stations, and Edgar Vazquez of the United States Department of State
said that the U.S. was "concerned" about this.
On February 20, results from all 1,923 polling stations showed Sargsyan with 52.86% of the vote (863,544 votes). Ter-Petrossian was placed second with 21.5% (351,306 votes) and Baghdassaryan was placed third with 16.67% (272,256 votes Hovannisyan placed fourth with 6.2% and Manukyan placed fifth with 1.5%; the other candidates received less than 1% of the vote. Voter turnout was placed at about 70%.
Sargysan thanked the people for giving him "overwhelming support" and said that he would be "the president of all Armenians". A spokesman for Sargysan's Republican Party claimed that the election was the most democratic ever held in Armenia; while he acknowledged flaws in the election, he said that they did not affect the outcome.
The opposition requested dozens of recounts. In one of them, on February 21, in a central Yerevan precinct showed that Sargsyan had won 395 votes there, rather than the 709 with which he had been credited in the initial count; votes had been taken from other candidates and added to Sargsyan's score. A criminal case was opened by state prosecutors regarding this possible fraud, and the chairman of the precinct commission was arrested; according to the HHK, recounts in over 30 other precincts showed results similar to the initial counts. Sargysan told police to investigate alleged electoral violations on 22 February.
Final results, released by the Central Electoral Commission on February 24, confirmed Sargysan's victory, crediting him with 52.82% of the vote (862,369 votes); Ter-Petrossian received 21.5% (351,222 votes) and Baghdasarian was said to have won 17.7% (272,427 votes).
A post-election poll conducted by the British Populus
Opinion Polling Center between February 21 and 24 confirmed Central Electoral Commission's results giving Sargsyan 53%, Ter-Petrossian 20%, and Baghdasaryan 13% of the vote
Sargysan was inaugurated as the third President of Armenia on 9 April 2008.
(EU) have commended the conduct of the election and stated that they regard the result as broadly democratic. The EU Commission said: "The European Union congratulates the Armenian people for the conduct of a competitive presidential election in Armenia. The European Union notes the statement of preliminary findings and conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission which concluded that the presidential election in Armenia, an important test for democracy in this country, was conducted mostly in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards. The European Union welcomes the genuine efforts that were made to address the shortcomings in previous elections. However, the EU also notes that the report raised concerns about the electoral process and that further improvements are necessary to address the remaining challenges. It notes in particular that, according to ODIHR, improvements and additional political will are necessary to tackle concerns such as the lack of public confidence in the electoral process, the absence of clear separation between state and party functions and ensuring equal treatment of candidates. The European Union looks forward to the final results of the presidential election and calls on the competent authorities to ensure that complaints are adequately investigated and shortcomings addressed."
A spokesman for the United States
Department of State said: "We congratulate the people of Armenia on the active and competitive presidential election of February 19 and note the preliminary assessment of the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Parliamentary Assembly that the election was "mostly in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards for democratic elections. At the same time, we also note that international monitors identified significant problems with electoral procedures. Armenian election authorities have responded with the positive step of recounts in a number of jurisdictions. We urge the Government of Armenia to ensure these recounts are conducted comprehensively and transparently, investigate all allegations of irregularities, and implement steps to improve future elections. We also urge all political forces to continue observing the rule of law and to work peacefully and responsibly for a democratic Armenia."
Following the election result, opposition protests began in Yerevan
's Freedom Square, in front of the Opera House. On March 1, the demonstrators were violently dispersed
by police and military forces killing at least 10 people and President Robert Kocharyan declared a 20-day state of emergency. This was followed by mass arrests and purges of prominent members of the opposition, as well as a de facto ban on any further anti-government protests.
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
on 19 February 2008. Prime Minister of Armenia
Prime Minister of Armenia
The Prime Minister of Armenia is the most senior minister within the Armenian government, and is required by the constitution to "oversee the Government's regular activities and coordinate the work of the Ministers." The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Armenia, but can be removed by...
Serzh Sargsyan won the election in the first round according to official results, but this is disputed by former President Levon Ter-Petrossian
Levon Ter-Petrossian
Levon Ter-Petrossian , sometimes transliterated Levon Ter-Petrosyan or Ter-Petrosian , was the first President of Armenia from 1991 to 1998...
, who officially placed second.
The candidacy of Sargsyan was backed by incumbent President of Armenia
President of Armenia
President of Armenia is the title of the head of state of Armenia since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.-Democratic Republic of Armenia :*Avetis Aharonyan *Avetik Sahakyan *Avetis Aharonyan -Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and Armenian...
Robert Kocharyan (who is ineligible for a third consecutive term). Other candidates included Levon Ter-Petrossian
Levon Ter-Petrossian
Levon Ter-Petrossian , sometimes transliterated Levon Ter-Petrosyan or Ter-Petrosian , was the first President of Armenia from 1991 to 1998...
and Vahan Hovhannisyan
Vahan Hovhannisyan
Vahan Hovhannisyan is an Armenian politician of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation . He was Vice-President of the National Assembly of Armenia from 2007 to 2008 and was a candidate in the February 2008 presidential election....
, the Vice President of the National Assembly, representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The largest opposition party, Rule of Law
Rule of Law (Armenia)
Rule of Law is a centrist political party in Armenia, led by Artur Baghdasarian. It is the fourth largest party in the Armenian National Assembly...
, nominated former parliamentary speaker Artur Baghdasarian
Artur Baghdasarian
Artur Baghdasarian is an RA politician and former Chairman of the National Assembly of RA. He is the leader of the pro-government Rule of Law party. He is married and has two children....
as its candidate.
Candidates
By the registration deadline of 6 December 2007, nine candidates had registered:- Artur BaghdasarianArtur BaghdasarianArtur Baghdasarian is an RA politician and former Chairman of the National Assembly of RA. He is the leader of the pro-government Rule of Law party. He is married and has two children....
from Rule of LawRule of Law (Armenia)Rule of Law is a centrist political party in Armenia, led by Artur Baghdasarian. It is the fourth largest party in the Armenian National Assembly... - Artashes GeghamyanArtashes GeghamyanArtashes Geghamyan is an Armenian politician.Geghamyan, born in Yerevan, finished Chekhov Secondary School in 1966 and graduated from the State Yerevan Polytechnic Institute in 1971. He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1972. From 1989 to 1990 he was the Mayor of Yerevan.In 1990,...
from the National UnityNational Unity (Armenia)The National Unity is a conservative political party in Armenia. It is currently led by Artashes Geghamyan.... - Aram Harutyunyan from the National Conciliation Party
- Vahan HovhannisyanVahan HovhannisyanVahan Hovhannisyan is an Armenian politician of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation . He was Vice-President of the National Assembly of Armenia from 2007 to 2008 and was a candidate in the February 2008 presidential election....
from the Armenian Revolutionary FederationArmenian Revolutionary FederationThe Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian... - Tigran Karapetyan from the People's PartyPeople's Party (Armenia)The People's Party is a political party in Armenia.In the 2007 Armenian parliamentary elections it didn't win any seat with a popular vote of 2.74%....
- Vazgen ManukyanVazgen ManukyanVazgen Manukyan was Prime Minister of Armenia from 1990 to 1991. From 1992 to 1993 Manukyan was acting Minister of Defense....
from the National Democratic UnionNational Democratic Union (Armenia)The National Democratic Union is a political party in Armenia. Vazgen Manukyan is the chairman of the party.... - Arman Melikyan
- Serzh Sargsyan from the Republican Party of ArmeniaRepublican Party of ArmeniaThe Republican Party of Armenia is a national conservative political party in Armenia. It was the first political party in independent Armenia to be founded and registered . It is the largest party of the centre-right in Armenia, and claims to have 140,000 members...
- Levon Ter-PetrossianLevon Ter-PetrossianLevon Ter-Petrossian , sometimes transliterated Levon Ter-Petrosyan or Ter-Petrosian , was the first President of Armenia from 1991 to 1998...
Raffi Hovannisian
Raffi Hovannisian
Raffi K. Hovannisian is an American-born Armenian politician and former Foreign Minister of Armenia. He is the leader of the Heritage party....
from Heritage
Heritage (Armenia)
Heritage is a liberal and centrist, opposition political party in Armenia. The party emerged as the fifth largest party in the Armenian National Assembly after its debut in the 2007 Armenian parliamentary elections. It obtained 7 seats and a popular vote of 5.81%...
and Aram Karapetyan
Aram Karapetyan
Aram Karapetyan is an Armenian politician. In 1985 Karapetyan graduated form Yerevan Polytechnic Institute. He also worked in the Russian State Duma, the Duma Council for National Security, and the upper chamber of Russia's Federal Assembly...
from New Times
New Times (political party)
New Times is a centrist, opposition political party in Armenia, led by Aram Karapetyan. Debuting in the 2007 Armenian parliamentary elections, it obtained 3.38% of the popular vote and no seats in parliament....
also tried to register, but were refused the certificates of residence in Armenia over the last ten years by the Armenian Police Department of Passports. Prosperous Armenia
Prosperous Armenia
Prosperous Armenia is a political party in Armenia. It was founded by Gagik Tsarukian, a wealthy businessman, in late 2005. It debuted in the 2007 Armenian parliamentary elections, winning 18 seats and 14.68% of the votes, making it the second largest political party in parliament.-External...
's Gagik Tsarukian
Gagik Tsarukian
Gagik Kolyai Tsarukyan ,, also known by his nickname Dodi Gago is an Armenian politician and a wealthy businessman. He is seen as the most influential of Armenia's government-connected "oligarchs" and key business partner of Kocharyan owning over a dozen big businesses and living in a very large...
, a business oligarch
Business oligarch
Business oligarch is a near-synonym of the term "business magnate", borrowed by the English speaking and western media from post-Soviet parlance to describe the huge, fast-acquired wealth of some businessmen of the former Soviet republics during the privatization in Russia and other post-Soviet...
, whose party has the second largest faction in parliament endorsed Serge Sargsian.
Ter-Petrossian officially announced his candidacy in a speech in Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
on 26 October 2007. He accused Kocharyan of running "an institutionalized mafia-style regime" that was responsible for massive corruption involving the theft of "at least three to four billion dollars" over the previous five years. He was also critical of the government's claims of strong economic growth and argued that Kocharyan and Sargsyan had come to accept a solution to the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
that was effectively the same solution that he had proposed ten years earlier, although they had strongly opposed that proposal at the time.
Campaign and election
The electoral campaign began on 21 January 2008. At the opening of campaigning, Ter-Petrossian fiercely denounced Sargsyan and Kocharyan, accusing them of "thieving and anti-popular" rule, and said that he was certain of victory, while acknowledging "disappointments" and "harsh criticisms" regarding his earlier presidency during the 1990s. For his part, Baghdasarian released a 32-page manifesto for his campaign, vowing to "eliminate corruption and embezzlement" and to provide "equality before law" and "a drastic rise in the living standards of the people". Hovhannisyan was a candidate despite the participation of his party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, in the governing coalition; his campaign promises included the break-up of monopolies, the promotion of economic development, and anti-corruption measures. Geghamyan, the National Unity Party's candidate, devoted the opening of his campaign to denouncing Ter-Petrossian and accusing others in the opposition of smearing him. Some members of the opposition suggested that Geghamyan was working for the government in an effort to undermine Ter-Petrossian.Ter-Petrossian criticized Baghdasarian for running his own campaign instead of rallying behind Ter-Petrossian's candidacy, calling him a "traitor" and saying that he was effectively supporting Sargsyan. After Baghdasarian rebuffed Ter-Petrossian's ultimatum, a pro-Ter-Petrossian newspaper, Haykakan Zhamanak, insinuated that Baghdasarian was a "sexual deviant."
Aside from his own Republican Party (HHK), Sargysan was backed by Prosperous Armenia (BHK).
It was considered very likely that Sargsyan will finish in the first place in the first round, with either former president Ter-Petrossian or Baghdasarian, who ran on a pro-EU and pro-NATO platform, in second place. First results and reports from OSCE election observers were expected on 20 February 2008, and the final result was to be announced within seven days.
According to exit polls, Sargsyan won the election in the first round with 57%, with Ter-Petrossian coming in second with 17%. The opposition parties have stated that they consider the election result fraudulent. Ter-Petrossian, claiming victory, accused the government of rigging the election and called for a rally in Yerevan on February 20 that would protest the official results and celebrate his claimed victory. OSCE
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
and Western monitors said that the election was largely free and fair. However, the report from the OSCE-led observers also described vote counting as "bad or very bad" in 15% of observed polling stations, and Edgar Vazquez of the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
said that the U.S. was "concerned" about this.
On February 20, results from all 1,923 polling stations showed Sargsyan with 52.86% of the vote (863,544 votes). Ter-Petrossian was placed second with 21.5% (351,306 votes) and Baghdassaryan was placed third with 16.67% (272,256 votes Hovannisyan placed fourth with 6.2% and Manukyan placed fifth with 1.5%; the other candidates received less than 1% of the vote. Voter turnout was placed at about 70%.
Sargysan thanked the people for giving him "overwhelming support" and said that he would be "the president of all Armenians". A spokesman for Sargysan's Republican Party claimed that the election was the most democratic ever held in Armenia; while he acknowledged flaws in the election, he said that they did not affect the outcome.
The opposition requested dozens of recounts. In one of them, on February 21, in a central Yerevan precinct showed that Sargsyan had won 395 votes there, rather than the 709 with which he had been credited in the initial count; votes had been taken from other candidates and added to Sargsyan's score. A criminal case was opened by state prosecutors regarding this possible fraud, and the chairman of the precinct commission was arrested; according to the HHK, recounts in over 30 other precincts showed results similar to the initial counts. Sargysan told police to investigate alleged electoral violations on 22 February.
Final results, released by the Central Electoral Commission on February 24, confirmed Sargysan's victory, crediting him with 52.82% of the vote (862,369 votes); Ter-Petrossian received 21.5% (351,222 votes) and Baghdasarian was said to have won 17.7% (272,427 votes).
A post-election poll conducted by the British Populus
Populus Ltd
Populus is a market research company in the United Kingdom formed in 2003. Populus co-founded the British Polling Council in 2004 and regularly publishes opinion polls on voting intention and as well as other political and commercial issues. Clients have included national brands such as the AA and...
Opinion Polling Center between February 21 and 24 confirmed Central Electoral Commission's results giving Sargsyan 53%, Ter-Petrossian 20%, and Baghdasaryan 13% of the vote
Sargysan was inaugurated as the third President of Armenia on 9 April 2008.
Results
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serzh Sargsyan | Republican Party of Armenia Republican Party of Armenia The Republican Party of Armenia is a national conservative political party in Armenia. It was the first political party in independent Armenia to be founded and registered . It is the largest party of the centre-right in Armenia, and claims to have 140,000 members... |
862,369 | 52.82% |
| Levon Ter-Petrossian Levon Ter-Petrossian Levon Ter-Petrossian , sometimes transliterated Levon Ter-Petrosyan or Ter-Petrosian , was the first President of Armenia from 1991 to 1998... |
351,222 | 21.50% | |
| Artur Baghdasarian Artur Baghdasarian Artur Baghdasarian is an RA politician and former Chairman of the National Assembly of RA. He is the leader of the pro-government Rule of Law party. He is married and has two children.... |
Rule of Law Rule of Law (Armenia) Rule of Law is a centrist political party in Armenia, led by Artur Baghdasarian. It is the fourth largest party in the Armenian National Assembly... |
272,427 | 17.70% |
| Vahan Hovhannisian | Armenian Revolutionary Federation Armenian Revolutionary Federation The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian... |
100,966 | 6.20% |
| Vazgen Manukyan Vazgen Manukyan Vazgen Manukyan was Prime Minister of Armenia from 1990 to 1991. From 1992 to 1993 Manukyan was acting Minister of Defense.... |
National Democratic Union National Democratic Union (Armenia) The National Democratic Union is a political party in Armenia. Vazgen Manukyan is the chairman of the party.... |
21,075 | 1.30% |
| Tigran Karapetyan | People's Party People's Party (Armenia) The People's Party is a political party in Armenia.In the 2007 Armenian parliamentary elections it didn't win any seat with a popular vote of 2.74%.... |
9,792 | 0.60% |
| Artashes Geghamian | National Unity National Unity (Armenia) The National Unity is a conservative political party in Armenia. It is currently led by Artashes Geghamyan.... |
7,524 | 0.46% |
| Arman Melikian | 4,399 | 0.27% | |
| Aram Harutyunyan | National Conciliation Party | 2,892 | 0.17% |
| Total | 1,632,666 | 100.00% | |
| Source: defacto.am | |||
International reaction
Both the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(EU) have commended the conduct of the election and stated that they regard the result as broadly democratic. The EU Commission said: "The European Union congratulates the Armenian people for the conduct of a competitive presidential election in Armenia. The European Union notes the statement of preliminary findings and conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission which concluded that the presidential election in Armenia, an important test for democracy in this country, was conducted mostly in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards. The European Union welcomes the genuine efforts that were made to address the shortcomings in previous elections. However, the EU also notes that the report raised concerns about the electoral process and that further improvements are necessary to address the remaining challenges. It notes in particular that, according to ODIHR, improvements and additional political will are necessary to tackle concerns such as the lack of public confidence in the electoral process, the absence of clear separation between state and party functions and ensuring equal treatment of candidates. The European Union looks forward to the final results of the presidential election and calls on the competent authorities to ensure that complaints are adequately investigated and shortcomings addressed."
A spokesman for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Department of State said: "We congratulate the people of Armenia on the active and competitive presidential election of February 19 and note the preliminary assessment of the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Parliamentary Assembly that the election was "mostly in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards for democratic elections. At the same time, we also note that international monitors identified significant problems with electoral procedures. Armenian election authorities have responded with the positive step of recounts in a number of jurisdictions. We urge the Government of Armenia to ensure these recounts are conducted comprehensively and transparently, investigate all allegations of irregularities, and implement steps to improve future elections. We also urge all political forces to continue observing the rule of law and to work peacefully and responsibly for a democratic Armenia."
Protests
Following the election result, opposition protests began in Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
's Freedom Square, in front of the Opera House. On March 1, the demonstrators were violently dispersed
2008 Armenian presidential election protests
The 2008 Armenian presidential election protests were a series of mass protests held in Armenia in the wake of the Armenian presidential election of 19 February 2008...
by police and military forces killing at least 10 people and President Robert Kocharyan declared a 20-day state of emergency. This was followed by mass arrests and purges of prominent members of the opposition, as well as a de facto ban on any further anti-government protests.
External links
- Armenia: Vote 2008 by Eurasianet.org