英文摘要 |
The presidential election of the Republic of Armenia on March 5, 2003 witnessed the incumbent President Robert Kocharian succeed in his re-election bid. The surprise of the poll was that he did not win the majority of the ballots in the first round and needed a run-off to gain victory. There were allegations of irregularities in both rounds of voting that not only disappointed the inter-national observer groups, particularly those Western ones that provided assistance and training, but also led to opponents challenging the legitimacy of Kocharian's presidency. Even more than two weeks after the result was made known, the President failed to secure the endorsement of the election by the opposition parties. Instead, he pushed the country into a dangerous state by arresting political opponents. This development is expected to possibly have a negative impact on the upcoming parliamentary election on May 25. |