Election Tracker
Archive Search
Armenia
At stake: President
Background
The smallest of the former Soviet republics, Armenia shares borders with Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. Armenia is one of the world’s most ancient civilizations and was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in the year 300.
The country’s recent history is deeply marked by the deaths of thousands of Armenians in 1915 following an order by the government of the Ottoman Empire—formed by members of the Turkish nationalist Committee of Union and Progress (ITC)—urging thousands of Armenians to relocate from the Caucasus to the deserts of Syria and Mesopotamia.
The state-sponsored deportation campaign led to a high number of fatalities, estimated at anywhere from 200,000 to 1.8 million. While some scholars believe the campaign was a deliberate attempt to exterminate Armenians, Turkey has never formally accepted the use of the term "genocide" to describe the event. Relations between the two countries remain tense to this day because of it.
Currently, many adults in Armenia believe their border with Turkey
should not be reopened unless there is an acknowledgement of the
genocide, according to a poll by The Gallup Organization.
The independent republic of Armenia was established in 1918. On Nov.
20, 1920, the Soviet army annexed Armenia. On Mar. 12, 1922, the
Soviets joined Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to form the
Transcaucasian Soviet Socialist Republic, which became part of the
Soviet Union.
On Sept. 23, 1991, Armenia declared its independence from the collapsing Soviet Union. From 1992 to 1994, war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region—an Armenian enclave in the neighbouring country inhabited by Christians who wanted to join Armenia or declare independence. Over 30,000 people died in the war, after which Armenia gained control of the territory. No formal settlement has been reached to this day. Turkey imposed sanctions on Armenia after their seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh.
A new constitution strengthening presidential powers was approved in 1995. Robert Kocharyan was elected president in February 1998.
In October 1999, terrorists stormed the parliament, killing the prime minister and other officials in an apparent coup attempt. They were all apprehended.
Kocharyan was re-elected as Armenia’s president on Mar. 5, 2003, defeating Stepan Demirchyan of the Republican Party of Armenia (HKK) in a run-off. The vote was marred by allegations of fraud by the main opposition parties.
A joint endeavour by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe placed 400 observers in Armenia for the May parliamentary ballot that same year. According to the mission, the election "fell beyond international standards" as monitors reported intimidation, ballot-stuffing and vote-tally falsification.
Official results placed the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) of prime minister Andranik Markaryan as the top political organization, with 31 seats. In November 2005, voters overwhelmingly approved a series of constitutional amendments, which limit presidential powers.
Armenia used to be an industrial center of the former Soviet Union. Since the dissolution of the union in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture away from the large agro-industrial complexes.
The conflict with Azerbaijan in the 1990s caused severe damages to Armenia’s economy and infrastructure; about half of the population lives below the poverty line. The country joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 2003. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector.
It is estimated 60 per cent out of Armenia’s 8 million people live outside the country. Most of them reside in the United States and Russia.
In May 2007, Armenian voters renewed their legislature. Final results placed the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) in first place with 32.82 per cent, followed by Prosperous Armenia (BHK) with 14.68 per cent, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (HHD) with 12.72 per cent, Rule of Law Country (OE) with 6.84 per cent, and the Heritage Party with 5.81 per cent. The results gave the Republicans 64 seats in the National Assembly—two shy of an overall majority.
Turnout was tabled at 59.35 per cent.
Click here for Armenia’s 2007 Legislative Election Tracker
2008 Presidential Election
President Robert Kocharyan is ineligible for a new term in office. The presidential election is scheduled to take place on Feb 12, 2008.
On Sept. 21, 2007, former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrossian broke an almost decade-long silence and publicly criticized the administration of Kocharyan. Ter-Petrossian, who oversaw the country’s transition into independence following the 1991 Soviet collapse, said the country is now run by "a corrupt, criminal regime, whose relations are governed not by laws, not by the will of the people, not by political dialogue, but by the rules of the underworld." Ter-Petrossian could potentially become a presidential candidate for the 2008 ballot. The former president said he is "studying" the possibility to run.
On Oct. 1, Rule of Law (OY) party member Artashes Avoyan announced that Artur Baghdasaryan would be their presidential candidate. Avoyan said the choice was made due to Baghdasaryan’s “high approval rating.”
On Oct. 5, the Prosperous Armenia (BHK) party of businessman Gagik Tsarukian, a junior partner in the governing coalition, announced it would support Armenian prime minister Serge Sarkisian’s presidential bid. Sarkisian became prime minister in March 2006 after his predecessor, Andranik Markaryan, died of heart failure. He was serving as defence minister at the time.
On Oct. 10, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives voted 27-21 to approve a non-binding measure deeming the deportation of nearly 2 million Armenians from the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923 as "systematic" and "deliberate," and amounting to "genocide." The resolution is still waiting to be approved by the rest of legislators and U.S. president George W. Bush. Supporters of the measure fear Bush could veto it due to Turkey’s expected negative reaction to the bill. Turkey is an important strategic ally of the U.S. in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On Oct. 11, Kocharyan welcomed the vote—one for which the Armenian community in the United States has lobbied for years—saying, "We look forward to seeing further developments in a full House hearing. (…) And we hope that this process will lead to the full recognition by the United States of America of the fact of the Armenian genocide."
Kocharyan also said the resolution could not worsen Armenian-Turkish relations more than they are now, declaring, "To be able to have a negative impact on (a country), one side has to have at least some kind of relations so that they can be impacted in a negative manner. (…) In our case, there is nothing that can be worsened or limited by the adoption of this resolution."
On Oct. 26, Ter Petrossian led a popular rally opposing what he called Kocharyan’s “handover of power” to Sarkisian, and accused the two politicians of running a “gangster state.” Ter Petrossian—who led Armenia to independence from the Soviet Union—said after announcing his presidential bid: “In the last five years, the criminal regime has stolen billions from the people.”
On Jan. 18, 2008, nine presidential candidates were registered:
Sarkisian, Ter-Petrossian, Baghdasaryan, Vahan Hovhannisyan of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Artashes Geghamyan of National Unity
(AM), former prime minister Vazgen Manukyan, Tigran Karapetian of the
People’s Party (ZhK), university lecturer Aram Harutiunian, and
Nagorno-Karabakh politician Arman Melikian.
On Feb. 11, a purported alliance between Ter-Petrossian and Baghdasarian was abandoned.
On Feb. 12, Heritage Party member Vardan Khachatrian announced the endorsement of Ter Petrossian, saying, “We couldn’t simply hold a passive stance at the election. Our decision is well-grounded. Levon Ter Petrossian is the only candidate enjoying public feedback. The recent large-scale rallies testify to this belief and had a direct influence on our decision. We haven’t agreed on some major points, for example the Karabakh conflict resolution. Besides, we have ideological differences.”
Voting took place on Feb. 19. Final results gave Sarkisian the victory
with 52.82 per cent of the vote, followed by Ter Petrossian with 21.50
per cent, and Baghdasaryan with 17.70 per cent.
Opposition spokesman Arman Musinyan expressed disappointment with the
process, saying, “There were very serious violations during voting,
including ballot-stuffing, kidnapping and the beating of our
representatives at the polling stations.”
On Mar. 1, outgoing president Kocharyan instituted a state of
emergency, after opposition demonstrations—which had begun peacefully
after the electoral results were released—turned violent. Eight people
died in confrontations between police and protesters.
On Apr. 9, Sarkisian was sworn in as president. On that same day,
Tigran Sarkisian—who is not related to the head of state—took over as
prime minister.
Political Players
President: Serge Sarkisian - HHK
Prime minister: Tigran Sarkisian
The president is elected to a four-year term by popular vote.
Legislative Branch: The Azgayin Zhoghov (National Assembly) has 131 members, elected to four-year terms; 75 members are elected in single-seat constituencies, and 56 by proportional representation.Results of Last Election:
President - Feb. 19, 2008
|
Vote% |
|
|
Serge Sarkisian - Republican Party of Armenia |
52.82% |
|
Levon Ter-Petrossian |
21.50% |
|
Artur Baghdasaryan - Rule of Law |
17.70% |
|
Vahan Hovhannisyan - Armenian Revolutionary Federation |
6.20% |
|
Vazgen Manukyan |
1.30% |
|
Tigran Karapetian - People’s Party |
0.60% |
|
Artashes Geghamyan - National Unity |
0.46% |
|
Arman Melikian |
0.27% |
|
Aram Harutiunian |
0.17% |
National Assembly - May 12, 2007
|
Vote% |
Seats |
|
|
Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) |
32.82% |
64 |
|
Prosperous Armenia (BHK) |
14.68% |
18 |
|
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (HHD) |
12.72% |
16 |
|
Rule of Law Country (OE) |
6.84% |
9 |
|
Heritage Party |
5.81% |
7 |
|
United Labour Party (MAK) |
4.26% |
-- |
|
National Unity (AM) |
3.58% |
-- |
|
New Times |
3.38% |
-- |
|
Other parties |
15.91% |
-- |