Armenian president's party wins parliamentary vote

[May 07, 2012]  YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) -- President Serge Sarkisian's party has won a majority of seats in a parliamentary election seen as a test of support ahead of next year's presidential vote.

Results released Monday show the president's Republican Party won at least 68 of the parliament's 131 seats.

Opposition supporters had claimed the February 2008 presidential election won by Sarkisian was flawed. The protests turned violent in early March, when clashes with police left 10 people dead and more than 250 injured.

In the outgoing parliament, the Republican Party was a few seats shy of a majority and formed a coalition with the Prosperous Armenia party, which finished second in Sunday's election.

The opposition Armenian National Congress finished a distant third.

[Associated Press]

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