CEC ANNOUNCES FINAL RESULTS FOR YEREVAN ELECTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000395 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM KJUS AM SUBJECT: CEC ANNOUNCES FINAL RESULTS FOR YEREVAN ELECTION REFS: A) YEREVAN 390 B)YEREVAN 388 C) YEREVAN 382 D) YEREVAN 372 YEREVAN 00000395 001.2 OF 002 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) During a June 7 extraordinary session, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced the final results of Yerevan's May 31 mayoral election, confirming the preliminary results that it had released on June 1. The CEC found that the recounts it conducted after Election Day did not reveal significant irregularities that affected the outcome of the election. The final number of valid ballots was found to be 393,516, down from the initial 401,310. The final percentages assigned to the seven contestants in the election remained the same as the preliminary count, with the Republican Party of Armenia netting 46 percent, Prosperous Armenia 22 percent, and the Armenian National Congress 17 percent in their one-two-three finish. Results in only six of Yerevan's 439 polling places were invalidated, with the results of 15 polling places having been recounted in total. END SUMMARY. -------------- FIGURES DIDN'T CHANGE MUCH -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The CEC reported that the final number of participating voters was 404,634, and that the number of valid ballots was 393,516. The number of ballots cast for each of the seven election contestants was as follows: the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) received 186,630 votes; Prosperous Armenia (PA) 89,131; the Armenian National Congress (ANC) bloc 69,140; Rule of Law (OY) 20,106; the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF-Dashnaks) 18,094; the People's Party (PP) 8,479; and the Labor Socialist Party of Armenia (SLP) 1,936 -------------- 15 RECOUNTS PERFORMED -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The CEC and Prosecutor General's Office conducted recounts of the results of 15 of Yerevan's 439 polling places. The CEC conducted recounts for eight polling places, while the Prosecutor General's Office recounted seven. Some of the recounts revealed serious irregularities, such as the tampering of sacks containing ballots and other election-related materials, and a mismatching of numbers in ballots, ballot envelopes and voters' signatures. -------------- RESULTS IN SIX POLLING PLACES INVALIDATED -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The results of six of Yerevan's 439 polling places were invalidated, all in the troubled Malatia-Sebastia district (reftels). Materials from these precincts were sent to the Prosecutor General's office for the launch of a criminal case. In addition, three individuals have been arrested in relation to election fraud. Two of them are members of the Precinct Electoral Commissions (PECs),or voting precincts. Altogether, five criminal cases have been launched in connection with the 15 PECs whose results were recounted. -------------- ANC SEES ALL OF ITS COMPLAINTS REJECTED -------------- ¶5. (SBU) On June 7, the CEC rejected the June 5 appeal lodged by the ANC requesting the invalidation of the results of the entire election (ref B),with six of its eight members voting to reject and two voting not to reject (the opposition Heritage and Dashnak members voted not to reject the ANC appeal). According to Garegin Azarian, the CEC's Chairman, the appeal contained no basis for invalidation, and "the facts presented in the appeal were not duly formulated." Overall, the CEC rejected all of the complaints that the ANC filed, many of which had to do with violations allegedly committed during the election campaign. The CEC rejected the complaints for various reasons, including incorrectly compiled complaints; groundless or invalid arguments; and complaints regarding polling station results that had already been invalidated or identified by the Prosecutor-General's Office for criminal investigation. -------------- NEW CITY COUNCIL MEETS WITHOUT ANC -------------- ¶6. (SBU) In its final protocol of the election results, the CEC allocated the respective number of seats in Yerevan's new city YEREVAN 00000395 002.2 OF 002 council to the following parties: 35 to the RPA, 17 to Prosperous Armenia and 13 to ANC. The new council held its first session on June 8, where it was decided that the top RPA candidate, incumbent mayor Gagik Beglarian, will be sworn in as mayor. It was also decided that the new council will hold its next session on June 23. The ANC boycotted the meeting, and has announced it will not take up the seats it won in the election. -------------- - ELECTION OBSERVER REFUSES SUMMONS, IS ARRESTED -------------- - ¶7. (SBU) On June 5, the Special Investigative Service (SIS),which has been tasked by the Prosecutor General to investigate election-related crimes, summoned an election observer employed by the local Helsinki Association (HA) human rights NGO to provide testimony on an alleged electoral violation. The individual refused to go, claiming that the written summons had been incorrectly formulated. The SIS reportedly then arrested the observer for allegedly "hindering the representative of the authorities in the execution of [his] duties." (Note: The crime is punishable by fine or imprisonment up to 5 years. End Note.) According to Mikael Danielian, HA's Director, police taunted and beat his employee after his arrest. YOVANOVITCH