ArmInfo. Elections to the Council of Elders of Yerevan were both unique and boring. Such an opinion was expressed on September 24 at the press conference in Yerevan by the President of the International Center for the Study of Electoral Systems, political scientist Alexander Zinker.
According to him, the uniqueness of these elections is that, firstly, these were the first elections in the country after the change of power and aroused great interest. According to him, it was strange that none of the international structures came to watch them, and expressed the belief that they lost a lot. "Secondly, most of the candidates submitted never took part in the process of governing the city, there were no representatives of the current authorities among them, and they did not negatively affect this process. Moreover, the program of all candidates was similar and positive, but their excessive politicization, especially in the confrontation of the bloc My step and the party Prosperous Armenia. Third, there was a very short election campaign that did not allow equalizing the possibilities of all forces. Those who were only being created could not it is difficult to do, as it is difficult to do in 12 days. It should also pay tribute to the actions of the CEC of Armenia, which worked smoothly.If we consider that the majority of the CEC members were representatives of the Republican Party, sabotage could take place, but this did not happen " , - the expert said.
The fourth criterion of the uniqueness of these elections, according to Zinker, is their calm move. According to him, there were very few voluntary observers from the political forces at the elections, which indicates either their predetermination or lack of resources from many forces.
The expert named the trust factor in the results of the elections as the fifth factor. "Sixth is a low turnout, although municipal elections are always different in that fewer people participate in them than in elections of national importance." I think that sociologists and political scientists should investigate why such a low turnout was due to the convincing leadership of one of the political The election of the Council of Elders of Yerevan is a referendum of confidence to the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and moreover, many citizens thought that Pashinyan is a candidate for mayors.This election is a great victory and a serious response as discontent over the mistakes of the mayor and his team will be sent to Pashinyan, citizens will demand it, "Zinker said.
As omissions, the expert described inaccuracies in the electoral lists, problems with access to the polling stations of persons with disabilities. At the same time, he praised the new electronic system of citizens identification, which, in his estimation, worked smoothly throughout the day.