YEREVAN. – Incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan received over 50 percent of the votes, in Armenia’s presidential vote on Monday, and he won in the first round. But the second-place candidate received a high percentage of votes, and this is a certain “yellow card” to Sargsyan, and he needs to consider that. The International expert Center for Electoral Systems (ICES) observer mission’s political analyst, Alexander Tsinker of Israel, stated this during a press conference on Tuesday. 

“Overall, the election was held under a democratic competitive battle of the candidates, and it complied with the fundamental principles and requirements of the international right to vote. The basic rules—which ensure freedom of expression and ballot-counting at polling precincts—were observed during the election,” Tsinker stated.     

In his words, the ICES observation mission visited 134 precincts.

“Sixty-five percent of Armenia’s polling precincts received a positive evaluation. The mission expresses a delight that no attempt was made to flop the election,” the observer stressed, and added that the vote was considered an established, open, and a legitimate action toward the freedom of expression of the Armenian people.