March 19, 1998


U. S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
STATEMENT BY JAMES P. RUBIN, SPOKESMAN
ARMENIAN PRESIDENTAIL ELECTION

On march 16, the people of Armenia went to the polls to elect a new
president.  While final results are not in, all indications are that
none of the 12 candidates will achieve a majority, and a runoff will be
held March 30 between the top two vote-winners, independent candidates,
Prime Minister Robert Kocharian and Karen Demirchian.

The OSCE election observer mission deployed almost 200 international
observers, including about 75 Americans.  On Election Day, they visited
over half of all polling stations in Armenia.  In about 85 percent of
stations, observers reported a well-managed process.  However, in about
15 percent of precincts observers reported significant violations of law
or regulations, which would have called into question the validity of
the election had there been a close result.  We endorse the conclusions
of the OSCE preliminary report issues by Ambassador Sam Brown on March
18.

In general, the campaigning was free and open.  All candidates had
access to substantial coverage in the state television and other media. 
They were able to campaign without major interference.  Voting proceeded
in an orderly fashion in most areas.

However, a number of problems were noted by Armenian political parties,
the media, and international observers.  It is vital for Armenia's
democratic future that these problems be effectively addressed before
the second round, in order that the march 30 run-off election produce a
president with the democratic legitimacy to lead Armenia forward.

Key areas of concerns which require correction before the second round
include:
Ø Improper military voting;
Ø Voting by non-citizen refugees and residents of Azerbaijan;
Ø Misuse of state resources;
Ø Interference by local authorities and security personnel;
Ø Media bias.

While noting progress since the September 1996 presidential election in
the conduct of this first round, we call on the Armenian government to
take firm steps before the march 30 polling to address the specific
problems reported by the international observers.  We and the
international community are hopeful that the second round of march30
will be the opportunity for the government and people of Armenia to
demonstrate Armenia's irreversible commitment to democratic institutions
and the rule of law.