First Round Sargsyan Victory Uncertain?

AFP reports that the Populus exit poll indicates the prime minister, Serge Sargsyan, might emerge victorious in a first round of voting for the 19 February presidential election in Armenia. However, with official results coming in, AP says that it is not yet clear whether a second round of voting needs to be called or not.

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Early results in Armenia’s presidential election Tuesday gave a strong lead to Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian, officials said, but the tally suggested he might not be able to avoid a runoff with his top challenger.

With 28% of ballots counted, Sarkisian had 42% of the votes, the Central Election Commission said. Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, was second in the field of nine, with 11%. A candidate needs more than 50% for an outright victory and avoid a runoff.

Election officials were expected to continue counting ballots through the night and full preliminary results were not expected before Wednesday evening.



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