YEREVAN. – About 4-5 percent—or close to 20,000 voters—of the Armenian capital city Yerevan residents were financially “awarded” for Sunday’s Yerevan Council of Elders elections, but they did not play a decisive role in the voting.  

Sociologist Aharon Adibekyan stated the aforesaid during a press conference on Monday.  

In his conviction, such number of bribed votes could not have played a significant role in some political parties’ not surmounting the election threshold. 

“Those votes could have solely raised the already large rating of PAP [i.e., Prosperous Armenia Party] and RPA [i.e., Republican Party]. Consequently, all of the opposition’s discontent reflects the excuse for a poorly done work,” the sociologist noted. 

As per Adibekyan, the Yerevan municipal vote demonstrated that RPA maintains its ruling position and has no intentions to yield. The PAP, on the other hand, received some of his constituents back, whereas it is not important how Heritage Party preserved the 8 percent of its leader, ex-presidential candidate, former FM Raffi Hovannisian.    

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) on Monday issued the preliminary results of Sunday’s voting. In line with this outcome, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, the non-pro-government Prosperous Armenia Party, and the opposition Heritage Party-led “Barev, [Hello] Yerevan” bloc will comprise the new Council of Elders of Yerevan.

Opposition Armenian National Congress Party, opposition ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party, coalition government’s Orinats Yerkir (Rule of Law) Party, and Arakelutyun (Mission) Party, on the other hand, did not pass the 6-percent threshold for the parties to become members in the Yerevan Council of Elders.  

The CEC will issue the final election results on May 12.