Armenians Vote In Presidential Elections
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenia’s main opposition candidate alleged widespread violations in a presidential election yesterday shadowed by tension with Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The two top contenders among nine candidates were powerful Prime Minister Sarkisian and former president, Levon Ter-Petrosian, vying to lead this poor South Caucasus nation, where more than a quarter of the population lives in poverty despite some economic progress in the last decade. Election officials said more than 69% of eligible voters cast ballots. Early preliminary results were expected late yesterday. Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation are to issue a report today on the conduct of the elections. The economy and resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been the main issues of the campaign.
But Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday added an element of uncertainty for Armenians, many of whom see clear analogies between Kosovo and Nagorno-Karabakh — a mountainous region in Azerbaijan that has been under the control of ethnic-Armenian forces since a 1994 cease-fire ended a bloody six-year conflict.
The Armenian government says Nagorno-Karabakh should be recognized as a sovereign state, while Azerbaijan says it will never cede its territory. The two presidential candidates differ on how to handle Nagorno-Karabakh.
Sarkisian, a native of the region, appears less likely to compromise than Ter-Petrosian, who was forced to resign as president in 1998 after advocating concessions in the dispute.
Sarkisian, 53, was widely seen as the front-runner, having been groomed by outgoing President Robert Kocharian. He has also received favorable media coverage, and has the state bureaucracy at his service, as well as the momentum of his government’s agenda. Ter-Petrosian, 63, hoped to return to the presidency, which he occupied after Armenia won independence in the Soviet collapse. Armenia, with a population of about 3.2 million, is located at the juncture of the energy-rich Caspian Sea region and southern Europe. This and its proximity to Iran make it of strategic importance for the West and Russia.
