Yerevan elections opportunity to change power in Armenia - Andranik  Tevanyan

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%.