Parliamentary election in Armenia 2017
The parliamentary elections in Armenia in 2017 took place on April 2, 2017. The ruling Republican Party won the election and again obtained an absolute majority of the seats. Prime Minister Karen Karapetjan , who ruled since 2016, remained in office. At the same time, the election marked the end of a constitutional reform towards a parliamentary system .
Modalities and system
With the 2015 constitutional reform , the number of seats in the Armenian National Assembly was reduced from 131 to 105. These are awarded entirely according to a two-stage proportional representation system, in which votes are given to candidates for lists and constituencies. Four seats are reserved for ethnic minorities. The threshold clause is 5% for parties and 7% for alliances. In addition, the strongest parliamentary group or the coalition it forms must unite 54% of the MPs, otherwise it would have to be re-elected. The reform, which was passed in a constitutional referendum , also shifted responsibilities from the president to parliament and government, changing the political system of Armenia from semi-presidential to parliamentary . The election was an important step in the transition to the new system, and it was completed by the presidential election a year later.
Participating parties
A total of 9 parties were registered to participate in the election:
- Jelk (Alliance of Shining Armenia , Civil Treaty and Republic ) - Edmon Marukjan
- Free Democrats (AD) - Khachatur Kokobeljan
- Armenian Rebirth (formerly the Land of Justice , OEK) - Arthur Baghdassarjan
- Zarukjan Alliance (Alliance of Blooming Armenia (BHK), Alliance Party, Mission ) - Gagik Zarukjan
- Armenian National Congress (HAK) - Levon Ter-Petrosyan
- Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) - Vigen Sargsjan
- Armenian Communist Party (HKK) - Tachat Sargsyan
- ORO Alliance (Alliance of Heritage , United Armenians Party ) - Sejran Ohanjan
- Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) - Wahan Howhannisjan
Official result
| Political party | be right | proportion of | Seats | +/- | |||
| Republican Party of Armenia | 771.247 | 49.17% |
58/105 |
- 11 | |||
| Zarukjan Alliance (BHK) | 428.965 | 27.35% |
31/105 |
- 2nd | |||
| Jelk | 122,049 | 7.78% |
9/105 |
New | |||
| Armenian Revolutionary Federation | 103.173 | 6.58% |
7/105 |
+ 2 | |||
| Armenian Rebirth (OEK) | 58,277 | 3.72% |
0/105 |
- 6 | |||
| ORO alliance (including heritage ) | 32.504 | 2.07% |
0/105 |
- 5th | |||
| Armenian National Congress (HAK) | 25,975 | 1.66% |
0/105 |
- 7th | |||
| Free Democrats (AD) | 14,746 | 0.94% |
0/105 |
0 | |||
| Armenian Communist Party | 11,745 | 0.75% |
0/105 |
0 | |||
| Invalid votes | 6,701 | - | - | - | |||
| total | 1,575,382 | 100% | 105 | - 26th | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voters and turnout: | 2,588,590 | 60.86% | - | - | |||
| Source: Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Armenia | |||||||
Evaluation of the election process and reactions
Since the previous elections in 2012 were overshadowed by allegations of buying votes and influencing the election, irregularities were feared in the run-up to the election. Before the polling stations closed, opposition politicians complained that there had been violations of voting secrecy and multiple votes. In addition, there were technical problems with devices that were supposed to recognize the thumbprint of voters, which is said to have prevented the participation of thousands of voters.
The OSCE election observers criticized the frequent vote-buying and the pressure exerted on civil servants and civil servants in the private sector to elect the ruling party. The rules, which were previously tightened and welcomed by the OSCE, which were intended to prevent multiple votes and improve the handling of the electoral roll, were only insufficiently implemented. The observers positively highlighted the peaceful and orderly process of the election and the transparent work of the election commission. The election campaign was essentially free, with only isolated cases of violence. The media coverage of the election campaign was varied, but partly impaired by the interference of media owners in editorial work and the associated self-censorship of reports critical of the government. The influence of employees and civil servants was also lamented by Transparency International, as well as the use of state employees in the ruling party's election campaign. The buying of votes was also observed, both by the Republican Party and the Zarukjan Alliance.
After the election success of the Russia-oriented ruling party, the Russian government expressed the hope of deepening the partnership between the two countries.
Individual evidence
- ^ Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Armenia
- ^ Parliamentary elections in Armenia. Federal Agency for Civic Education, March 28, 2017, accessed on April 28, 2018 .
- ↑ OSCE / ODIHR NEEDS ASSESSMENT MISSION REPORT. OECD, January 12, 2017, accessed April 28, 2018 .
- ↑ Foreign Office on the Situation in Armenia . In: Foreign Office DE . ( Auswaertiges-amt.de [accessed on April 25, 2018]).
- ↑ Governing party wins parliamentary election. Die Zeit, April 2, 2017, accessed on April 28, 2018 .
- ↑ Violations of the electoral law overshadow parliamentary elections. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, April 2, 2017, accessed on April 28, 2018 .
- ^ OSCE / ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report. OSCE, July 10, 2017, accessed April 28, 2018 .
- ↑ Transparency International: 45 cases of Armenia election bribe distribution, promise were recorded in 10 days. news.am, accessed on April 28, 2018 .
- ↑ Putin's friend remains in power. taz.de, April 3, 2017, accessed April 28, 2018 .