Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

126 out of the 15,904 members of election commissions did not come to the polling stations on Monday, the presidential election day in Armenia, news.am reports quoting chairman of the Central Election Commission Tigran Mukuchyan as saying.

The sixth Armenian presidential election was launched this morning.

Mukuchyan said the chairmen of election commissions, in accordance with the established procedure, assigned only eight new appointments, because if at least seven members of the commission are present, replenishment of the Commission is not necessary. "All the commissions are working in full," Mukuchyan said.

According to him, seven out of the 1,988 polling stations had been set up in prisons, where voting starts later than at regular polling stations due to a specific schedule and the number of voters.

Meanwhile, Armenia`s Prosecutor General's Office is reportedly investigating 88 reports of violations of citizens' electoral rights that were received a day before.

As a result of the investigation, an explanation was provided on four reported violations, legal proceedings will be instituted over one of the reports, and the investigation into 61 such reports continues.

1,988 polling stations in 41 electoral districts will be open until 8 p.m. The total number of the voters included in the voters' register was 2,505,980 in the country with population of around 3 million as of February 17.

Final results of the elections will be summed up on February 25.

The election is contested by the incumbent president and ruling Republican Party leader Serzh Sargsyan, former Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan, chairman of the Heritage Party Raffi Hovhannisyan, as well as Paruyr Hayrikyan, Arman Melikyan, Andreas Ghukasyan and Vardan Setrakyan.

One of the presidential candidates, Aram Harutyunyan, withdrew his candidacy on February 8, deeming further rivalry for the president's post unfounded and unfair.