Major Armenian Parties Slam 'Widespread Violations' At Polls

May 11, 2012
 
Three of Armenia's main political forces say weekend parliamentary elections won by President Serzh Sarkisian's ruling party were marred by fraud.
 
Former governing coalition party Prosperous Armenia, the main opposition Armenian National Congress bloc, and the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) issued a joint statement saying “the elections on May 6 were held with widespread violations."
 
The ruling Republican party won 44 percent of the May 6 vote and is set to get 68 seats in the 131-seat National Assembly.
 
Prosperous Armenia took 36 seats, the Armenian National Congress won seven seats, and Dashnaktsutyun six, according to estimates.
 
The joint statement came as a rare show of unity among the country's political factions.
 
The poll’s results strengthened Sarkisian ahead of a presidential election next year.
 
Based on reporting by AFP and RFE/RL’s Armenian Service