1539 candidates nominated for parliamentary elections in Armenia

The lists of political parties and blocs, which have declared their participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections, include 1539 candidates, Tigran Mukuchyan, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Armenia said on February 17 at a press conference, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

According to Mukuchyan, on February 26, the CEC will complete the registration of candidates.

The lists of candidates have undergone minor updates; however, some political forces are unlikely to pass through to the new parliament due to their low popularity among voters, political analysts believe.

High chances to get there are with the Republican Party of Armenia and the bloc "Tsarukyan", said Armen Badalyan, a political technologist, adding that the chances of other parties and blocs are 50/50.

In the opinion of Grant Mikaelyan, a political scientist at the Caucasus Institute, the public knows the majority of candidates’ names, included by political forces into their electoral lists; however, they enjoy no people’s trust.

Public attention to the elections is low, he told the "Caucasian Knot".

"Citizens are not particularly interested in the election outcomes, since the probability that Republicans will lose power is close to zero. The voter turnout at the upcoming parliamentary elections may be less than 50%," said Mikaelyan.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.