PM favoured to win Armenia presidential vote
YEREVAN, Armenia (AFP) — Armenia's Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian was headed for victory in the country's presidential election Tuesday, an exit poll indicated, but his opponents cried foul and vowed to stage a mass protest.
Sarkisian won the election in a first round with 57.1 percent of the vote, according to the exit poll commissioned by Armenian Public Television.
Former president Levon Ter-Petrosian came in second with 17.4 percent, while former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian was in third place with 14.6 percent, according to the poll conducted by British pollster Populus.
If confirmed by official returns, the poll victory would clear the way for 53-year-old Sarkisian to take over from his close ally, outgoing President Robert Kocharian.
With nearly a quarter of the votes counted, Sarkisian was ahead with 59 percent, according to official results shown on Armenian Public Television. Ter-Petrosian had 17 percent, followed by Baghdasarian with 16 percent.
Even before polls had closed, Ter-Petrosian's campaign team had denounced the vote as a fraud and called for a mass rally in the capital on Wednesday.
Ter-Petrosian, Armenia's president between 1991 and 1998, said election day had been marred by serious violations.
"Very dirty things are happening," he said after voting.
His campaign spokesman Arman Musinian said that dozens of Ter-Petrosian's supporters had been beaten Tuesday across the country. He also claimed that ballot stuffing, multiple voting and voter intimidation had been widespread.
"It's already clear that this is not an election. This is an attempt by the authorities to seize power," Musinian told AFP.
He also dismissed the exit poll result, saying "these figures have absolutely no connection with reality. They were written by Serzh Sarkisian's campaign headquarters."
Voter turnout was 69.25 percent, the Central Elections Commission reported.
Pre-election polls showed Sarkisian well ahead of his eight rivals in the race to replace the long-serving Kocharian, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third five-year term.
"The most important thing is not how many rounds there are, but that the election is conducted well and that its results are trusted by the people," Sarkisian said after voting.
Opposition candidates had warned they would call street protests if they believed the vote was unfair, raising fears of unrest in a country known for its volatile politics.
At one Yerevan polling station Roland Serobian said he voted for Sarkisian because of the prime minister's promises to improve living standards.
"I trust him. He's a man of his word," the 76-year-old said. "Look how much he has already done."
Kocharian handpicked the prime minister to succeed him after Sarkisian's Republican Party of Armenia swept parliamentary polls last May.
The two are long-time associates, both hailing from Azerbaijan's rebel Nagorny Karabakh region.
Together they have been credited with ensuring relative stability and strong economic growth.
Analysts predict Sarkisian will follow in Kocharian's footsteps, pursuing close ties with Moscow and a hawkish stance in relations with neighbouring Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The latter two have cut diplomatic ties and sealed their borders with Armenia over its support for Armenian separatists in Nagorny Karabakh.
Ankara has also been angered by Yerevan's campaign to have the World War I-era mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire recognised as genocide.
Ter-Petrosian has called for a more conciliatory approach with Azerbaijan and Turkey, saying the government has left Armenia deeply isolated.
About 600 foreign observers were monitoring the vote and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was to issue a report on the election Wednesday.
