YEREVAN (A.W.)— In an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian service on April 5, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Supreme Council representative Aghvan Vardanyan addressed the results of the recent Parliamentary Elections, stating that the ARF expected more from the outcome.
Vardanyan did, however, say that the party made some progress given the fact that the Parliament now consists of 101 seats. With about 6.6 percent of the vote, the ARF finished fourth, and is expected to earn about 7 seats in the parliament.
When asked whether the irregularities affected the outcome of the elections, Vardanyan said that violations have been reported and responses are expected. Vardanyan added that the impact of the violations depend on the results that are reported by the authorities. Nonetheless, he was confident that they did not have severe impact on the elections.
Vardanayan revealed that most of the recorded violations took place in the villages of Parpi, Byurakan, and Champarak. He also explained that voter turnout was higher than expected due to the bribery and the abuse of financial and administrative resources.
The ARF representative confirmed that vote buying and voter intimidation had been alleged by opposition parties as well. He also said that the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) had exploited their administrative power to gain votes.
When asked about the continuation of a coalition with the RPA, Vardanyan said that the parties will address various issues and inquire about the possibility of a renewed coalition in the coming days. “The Electoral Code allows us to engage in such discussions in the coming days,” he concluded.
On April 3, RPA spokesperson Eduard Sharmazanov said that the continued presence of the ARF in the government would be very logical since the cooperation is “long term and strategic.”
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