ACNIS Director: Prosperous Armenia Party showed the huge gap between it and the opposition on May 5

At the municipal elections on May 5 Prosperous Armenia Party played the role of the key mechanism of the regime and showed the huge gap between it and the opposition, Manvel Sargsyan, Director of ACNIS, told ArmInfo.

"The presidential election in Feb 2013 that brought Raffi Hovannisian 42.9% in Yerevan even by official data, inspired the authorities for new 'deeds.' As usually, Gagik Tsarukyan's party became the hero of their undertakings. It is due to PAP's participation in the so-called elections to the Elders' Council that the votes of the Yerevan
citizens were split. This happened not without help of the newly created Armenian National Congress Party that had been heaping praises upon Tsarukyan's party and calling it opposition for a long time," Sargsyan said.

He is sure that as a political force subjected to re-branding, ANC was to assert itself and the municipal elections were a good chance for it. However, the party failed to do it. Asked about the ARFD's motives to run to the Elders' Council of Yerevan, Sargsyan said that ARFD is 'a registered party that has neither significance nor an exact stance on any issue.'

"There are no elections in Armenia now. There are procedures of distributing votes. This was obvious at all the previous elections. The authorities seize majority of votes and distribute the remainder to the parties as trappings of power. What really surprises me in this routine is the poor judgment of the local political parties that cannot realize what kind of machine has been launched against them. That is why the political life in Armenia has annoyed everyone. The political parties are just silly with their unjustified ambitions," Sargsyan said.

Elections to the Elders' Council of Yerevan were conducted in all the 12 administrative districts in the city on May 5. The Elders' Council will elect Yerevan Mayor. Given that the Republicans received majority of votes, Taron Margaryan will retain his position of the Yerevan Mayor.

Prosperous Armenia Party with Vartan Oskanian took the second place with 23.07% of 97189 votes. Barev Yerevan opposition bloc with Armen Martirosyan took the third place with 8.48% or 35732 votes. The bloc is part of Heritage Party led by Raffi Hovannisian, who received 42.9% of votes at the past presidential elections in Feb 2013.

Given that the threshold to the city council is 6% for parties and 8% for blocs, only the given parties were elected to the Elders' Council of Yerevan. Armenian National Congress Party received 4.39% of 18499 votes. ARFD received 3.8% or 15999. Orinats Yerkir received 3.73% or 15733 votes. Arakelutyun received 0.64% or 2692 votes.