YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–The Central Electoral Commission adopted a resolution–Monday–which mandates that the run-off election be held on March 30. Two out of the 12 presidential candidates–Robert Kocharian and Karen Demirchian–who garnered the highest percentage of votes in the first round of voting–will participate in the run-off. The CEC also made public final election returns.
Of 18 CEC members–only 12 signed the final protocol on the March 16 presidential election. Norayr Khanzadian (Self-Determination Union)–Armen Khojoyan (Intellectual Armenia)–Filaret Berikian and Vova Hakhverdian (National Democratic Union)–Vania Mkhitarian and Vilen Sukiassian (Communist Party) refused to put their signatures under the protocol.
Of 2,293,636 voters in Armenia and abroad–1,456,109 participated in the election. A total of 9,509 people voted against all candidates. The number of inaccuracies totaled 8,388. Candidates received the following number of votes:
Sergey Badalian 155,023 (11.01 percent)
Ashot Bleyan 1,559 (0.11 percent)
Artashes Geghamian 6,314 (0.45 percent)
Karen Demirchian 431,967 (30.67 percent)
Hrant Khachatrian 2,943 (0.21 percent)
Vigen Khachatrian 3,999 (0.28 percent)
Baruyr Hairikian 76,212 (5.41 percent)
Vazgen Manoukian 172,449 (12.24 percent)
Yuri Mkrtchian 2,511 (0.18 percent)
David Shahnazarian 6,798 (0.48 percent)
Aram Sargssian 2,710 (0.19 percent)
Robert Kocharian 545,938 (38.76 percent)