VIDEO: Will there be new snap elections? Clarification from the CEC Secretary

The Secretary of the Central Electoral Commission, Armen Simbatyann, addressed the question of whether a low voter turnout could serve as the basis for a second round during a meeting with journalists today. He stated, “According to our legislation, there is generally no quorum for elections, and the election is considered to have taken place unless there are other issues. This means that depending on the number of participants, it cannot be deemed invalid or recognized as anything else other than a legitimate election.”

Simbatyan mentioned that low participation is more an object of study for political figures and political scientists. “I believe there should be a higher level of engagement regarding Yerevan; there was noticeable indifference. There is no second round under this procedure. If any faction of the Yerevan council does not obtain 33 or more mandates, its first candidate will not automatically be elected as mayor of the city. The council is obliged to elect the mayor of Yerevan within two weeks after the first session; if this fails, the term of powers will be reduced, and new snap elections will be appointed,” he noted, adding that it is still too early to discuss snap elections since preliminary results are not yet known.

It is worth recalling that as of 20:00, out of 824,250 voters in the 2023 Yerevan council elections, 324,553 citizens participated, or 28.46 percent, according to the CEC. In the 2018 council elections, the participation rate at the same time was 370,323 citizens (43.65%). In 2017, 245,226 citizens (40.99%) participated.