REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 19 FEBRUARY AND 5 MARCH 2003
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Source: Armenia This Week website, PanArmenian website


The Armenia This Week website gives all party names in English 
only.

FIRST ROUND: 19 FEBRUARY 2003
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NATIONAL SUMMARY
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Eligible voters:                                    2,295,474 
Votes cast:                                         1,464,093  63.8
Invalid votes:                                         45,318  03.1
Valid votes:                                        1,418,775  96.9
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Candidate             Party                         Votes      %
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Ruben Avagian         United Armenians' Party           5,037  00.4
Stepan Demirchian     People's Party                  400,846  28.3
Artashes Geghamian    National Unity Party            247,360  17.4
Aram Harutiunian      National Accord Party             1,218  00.1
Aram Karapetian       Constitutional Rights Union      41,683  02.9
Robert Kocharian *                                    707,155  49.8
Vazgen Manukian       National Democratic Union        12,988  00.9
Garnik Margarian      Socialist Armenia Union             855  00.1
Aram Sargsian         Democratic Party                  1,633  00.1
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Total                                               1,418,775 
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SECOND ROUND: 5 MARCH 2003
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NATIONAL SUMMARY
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Candidate             Party                         Votes      %
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Stepan Demirchian     People's Party                  504,146  32.6
Robert KOCHARIAN *                                  1,044,424  67.4       
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Total                                               1,548,570
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COMMENTS OF INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS ON THE FIRST ROUND
(From Armenia This Week)

International monitors criticized the election conduct as falling 
"short of international standards in several key respects." A 
statement prepared prior to the run-off announcement said that 
irregularities marred an otherwise "generally calm and well-
administered" presidential election. American Peter Eicher and 
British Lord Russel-Johnston co-led the joint observer mission of 
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and 
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which 
fielded some 200 monitors throughout the country.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday night, Eicher and Russell-
Johnston cited in particular several incidents of pressure on 
opposition campaigners prior to the vote and unequal access to 
public resources, including public TV. On voting day, the OSCE-PACE 
observers registered incidents of ballot box-stuffing and 
intimidation attempts at about 10 percent of the precincts they 
visited. During the vote count, which they described as "generally 
transparent," the mission observed irregularities at about 20 
percent of the polls. 

Despite the shortcomings, the observers said they were "pleased to 
see an active and vigorous campaign" and the participation of nine 
candidates, which "provided voters with a genuine choice." They 
also noted tangible improvements in the voter lists, although they 
still remain problematic. Over 10,000 voters turned to the courts 
on the election day in order to be reinstated on the voter lists, 
and a majority of them later returned to vote. 

ELECTION OBSERVER COMMENTS ON THE SECOND ROUND
(Associated Press)

Some 200 election observers confirmed many cases of ballot-box 
stuffing and said the period between the first round and the runoff 
did not meet international standards for an open campaign, according 
to a statement from the Organization for Security and Cooperation 
in Europe.

"I am disappointed; we had hoped for better," the OSCE's Peter 
Eicher said in the statement. The observer mission was under the 
auspices of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

He said as well as ballot-stuffing, there were many instances of 
opposition activists being detained ahead of the vote.

But the observers also faulted the opposition for failing to 
maintain a dialogue with the authorities and for inflammatory 
statements.