ArmInfo. The ruling "Civil Contract" party in Armenia has suffered a powerful blow, leader of the "Mother Armenia" bloc, former member of Armenia's Parliament Andranik Tevanyan, stated in his video message to voters in Yerevan.
Expressing gratitude to all those residents of the capital who voted for the bloc, Tevanyan, at the same time, noted with regret the low voter turnout. "Nevertheless, we note that the ruling party has suffered a powerful blow. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his team failed to bring the elections to the desired result. They are making attempts, at the expense of "sister" organizations, to obtain the necessary quorum to obtain the seat of mayor of Yerevan," Tevanyan said, adding that the bloc views these elections as an opportunity for a complete change of power in the country. "The elections were the first step on this path; today it is already obvious that the current government does not have public trust or legitimacy, as evidenced by the election results, even despite the shameful use of administrative resources. We are confident that this process can be translated into a common struggle for a change of power. Be prepared for this fight," the leader of the bloc emphasized.
According to the election results, the Armenia bloc took third place with 15.43% of the votes. In first place, as expected, was the ruling "Civil Contract" party, for which 32.75% of Yerevan residents voted, second place went to the "National Progress" party, led by the former mayor of the Yerevan Hayk Marutyan (18.89%).
In the elections to the Yerevan Council of Elders that took place the day before, not a single political force managed to score a 50% result, which means that during the elections of the capital's mayor, parties and blocs will have to form coalitions. Based on the results of the election process, a Council of Elders of 65 members will be formed, who, in turn, will choose the capital's mayor.
In order to enter the Council, parties needed to gain at least 4% of the votes, blocs - 6%. The new Council is due to take office on October 10. Mayoral elections are held within 2 weeks after receiving mandates. 824,250 residents of Yerevan had the right to vote in the elections, as well as 14,839 people who do not have Armenian citizenship, but are registered in the capital's population register and have been living in the city for at least 1 year. The voting process was monitored by 350 local observers and 24 foreign ones. Voter turnout was 28.44%.