Armenia – Shortcomings in the parliamentary elections and the long shadow of the future (original) (raw)
2 April 2017 Parliamentary Elections in Armenia
This paper will assess the 2 April 2017 parliamentary elections. To do that, first it will briefly depict the background of the elections, namely, Armenia’s path from strong presidentialism to parliamentarism, and the socio-political context within which the elections were held. These will be followed by the short description of the election process and the results. The final part of the paper will assess the results of the elections and offer some forecasts on the future of the Armenian politics.
“Armenia: Pre-Election Assessment,” RSC Special Analysis, Volume II No. 1, 31 January 2013.
In one of Armenia's least competitive elections, incumbent Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian looks certain to be re-elected to a second term. But with an especially weak field of candidates, the lack of real competition may only exacerbate the need for sufficient voter turnout. It also increases pressure for a much improved ballot this time and, if as expected, President Sarkisian secures reelection, he will face raised expectations and greater demands for reform.
The Impact Of Voter Turnout And Peculiarities Of Elections In Post-Soviet Armenia
International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 2019
In post-Soviet countries, the process of democratization is not linear and causes a variety of conflicts. The electoral process and the election institute, as essential elements of electoral political culture, have an important role in political process, especially when the state is transitioning to a parliamentary system of governance, where the quality of internal and external state politics effectiveness mainly depends on the national legislative body. Based on comparative statistical data analysis as well as using behavioral and discourse approaches, the article explores voter turnout in 1991-2018 national elections by revealing its impact on electoral processes as well as peculiarities of elections in Armenia. The findings of conducted research have shown that there was a higher voter turnout during presidential than parliamentary elections and constitutional referendums which is due to more personalized than institutionalized perception of political power. The electoral institute is not sustainable and has a conflict nature in Armenia. To improve the functioning of electoral institute and to restore public confidence in it, it is not necessary to improve only the legislation but to develop the political forces by inclusion of democratic values in public consciousness through political process. In this sense, the evolution of party system based mainly on democratic ideas and not only on personalities is needed. The political process in spring of 2018 in Armenia may create some preconditions ensuring electoral process transparency, taking into account the increase of public confidence among elections as well as the significant decrease in election fraud, and the credibility of early parliamentary election results after the Velvet Revolution. 2018 early parliamentary election can be considered as a step forward to democracy improvement in Armenia.
wisdom, 2016
A constitutional referendum was held in Armenia on 6 December 2015. The amendments to the constitution changed the country from having a semi-presidential system to a parliamentary republic, with the changes planned to take place during the 2017–18 electoral cycle. The results of the referendum determine not only the current changes in the electoral code, but also the necessity and effectiveness of the new electoral system. Particularly, by replacing the majoritarian system to the proportional system and by increasing the representativeness of the parliament for some groups, we can create basis for the further development of the country. Above all in the article we discussed the main factors that have a big impact on the voting behavior of the citizens.
Presidential Elections in Armenia and the Opposition's Long March
2013
On 18 February 2013, presidential elections were held in Armenia. According to the official results, the incumbent president, Serzh Sargsyan, who was first elected in 2008, won the elections with 58.64 percent of the votes, while his closest rival, Raffi Hovannisian, received 36.75 percent of the votes. Hovannisian disputed the election results and launched a long protest action. The presidential inauguration on April 9 legally bestowed full legitimacy on the second mandate of the incumbent Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan, but it hardly put an end to the so-called BaRevolution, the opposition movement that took shape after the elections.
Azerbaijan – In the aftermath of the Parliamentary Election
On 1 November a parliamentary election was held in Azerbaijan. A total of 767 candidates competed for 125 seats. As largely predicted, the ruling New Azerbaijan (Yeni Azerbaijan) party won the vast majority of seats in the Milli Majilis.
The 2012 Armenian Parliamentary Elections: Implications for Armenian Foreign Policy
Armenian parliamentary elections were held on 6 May 2012. Five parties and a coalition won seats in Parliament. Three of them are opposition parties, two in the previous legislature were allies of the presidency party, the Republican Party. The latter comfortably won the elections. With 45% votes through the proportional system and 29 seats through the majoritarian one, the Republican Party has the absolute majority of seats, 69 out of 131. So the two main issues in Armenian foreign policy -the protracted conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh and relations with Turkey -will be addressed in continuity with the policy expressed so far by President Serzh Sargsyan, unless the regional counterparts change their strategies. With the party he chairs being confirmed as the leading political force of the country, Sargsyan will run for his second term in the upcoming presidential elections.
Armenia’s watershed election: more free, but less fair
2017
As Armenia prepares for a parliamentary election on 2 April, the coming contest has already been marred by pronounced polarisation and deep division. With Armenia moving to a full parliamentary form of government, writes Richard Giragosian, the election will be particularly significant and could very well shape the future of the country.
Parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan: Reading and interpreting the results
became benchmarks for measuring political development in the democratic and semi-democratic regimes of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Firstly, they opened an elections season in the Central Asian region, as parliamentary and presidential elections have been scheduled to be held in most of the Central Asian republics and in some countries in the CIS within next 20 months. Secondly, they showed changes in the attitudes of the ruling elites and general public towards democratization in general and parliamentary process in particular. Thirdly, Kazakhstan became one of the first countries in the CIS to test a new electronic system of voting that was introduced to curb election frauds. The Kazakhstani government invited observes from several dozens of countries to show its dedication to democratization process. Yet, the elections were sharply criticized by the international community, including the OSCE and some human rights groups, and by the local opposition. They also triggered a new round of discussions on the nature of political transition and democratization in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in general and in Kazakhstan in particular.
Policy Alert #10 - Armenia’s 2021 Local Elections
Two Down, One To Go: Armenia’s 2021 Local Elections, 2021
In the wake of the early parliamentary election on June 20, 2021, 54% of the electorate will have a second chance to vote during the autumn 2021 local elections. Several communities have already held their city council elections on October 17 and November 14, but the biggest wave will take place on December 5.
Armenia – The constitutional referendum and the role of the president during the campaign
Armenia -The constitutional referendum and the role of the president during the campaign On Sunday a referendum took place in Armenia. Citizens were called to express their opinion on a set of constitutional amendments. With 63.35% voting in favour, the "yes front" prevailed (though the o‴㔳cial result will be published the 13 December). Among other things, the result means a deep restructuring of the architecture of state power. More precisely, the Armenian semi-presidential political system will transition into a parliamentary one. This result, relished by the ruling Republican Party, was not necessarily determined in advance. In fact, surveys conducted in the previous weeks did not show clear-cut result. Even the referendum day witnessed a certain surprise element. First, the voter turnout was slightly above 50%, which is
Elections in Russia, 1991-2008
arXiv (Cornell University), 2016
In this paper, I review the main trends in voting in national elections in Russia since 1991, discuss the evidence of manipulation or falsification by the authorities, and use statistical techniques to examine the determinants of voting trends. The emphasis is on explaining change over time in the vote shares of different parties or groups of parties, not on identifiying social, economic, or opinion correlates of individuals' party choice at a given point in time-a subject that has been well-studied in previous work by various scholars. My goal is to provide a relatively comprehensive introduction to the changing electoral landscape in the two decades since the birth of the independent Russian state. The paper offers a more detailed and technical examination of the evidence that is summarized in Chapter 10 of my book manuscript titled The Return: Russia's Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev.
Regional Studies Center (RSC) Special Armenian Pre-Election Briefing
2013
The Regional Studies Center (RSC) held a special briefing on 23 January, offering a special assessment of the upcoming Armenian presidential election. The briefing presentation focused on five specific aspects of the Armenian pre-election situation: (1) general pre-election observations; (2) an analysis of the election campaign; (3) an identification of five specific election challenges; (4) implications from the election; and (5) election surprises. The summary notes from the presentation are attached, and a separate longer pre-election assessment report is also available separately. Although this special pre-election briefing was devoted to only one topic, it is part of a broader series of closed monthly briefings, providing an informal “off-the-record” closed discussion of current developments in Armenia and the broader region. As an independent “think tank,” the Regional Studies Center (RSC) offers this series of closed monthly briefings as an important source of objective analysis and information on a regular monthly basis, serving a target audience of representatives of the diplomatic community and international organizations in Armenia.
Onnik Krikorian, "Parliamentary Elections in Armenia"
Onnik Krikorian, "Parliamentary Elections in Armenia", The Caspian Energy Dance: Towards a New Age of Partnership?, Caucasus International, Vol. 2 • No: 2 • Summer 2012, http://cijournal.az/post/caucasus-international-vol-2-no-2-summer-2012