U.S. welcomes "competitive" parliamentary elections in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States congratulated the people of Armenia on the conduct of December 9 parliamentary elections in the country, the Department of State said in a statement.

"We welcome the assessment by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights that Armenia’s parliamentary elections were competitive and that candidates were able to campaign freely," the statement said.

"The United States concurs with the OSCE’s preliminary conclusions that the elections process enjoyed broad public trust and respected fundamental freedoms. We encourage the authorities to address OSCE and Venice Commission recommendations for future elections."

According to the State Department, 2018 has been a time of remarkable change in Armenia.

"For 27 years, the United States has sought to support the development of democratic processes and institutions in Armenia, and we will continue to do so," the message said.

"We look forward to working with the new Armenian Parliament and Government to deepen our bilateral partnership and cooperation to strengthen the rule of law and democratic institutions, combat corruption, promote trade and investment, and safeguard regional and global security."

In the elections, My Step alliance led by Armenia's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan secured a convincing victory, with 70.43% of all the ballots cast in their favor.

Two more parties - Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia - also collected enough votes to have seats in the National Assembly. They have won 8.27% and 6.37% of the vote, respectively.