And the Votes Are In

Election day came and went. Conclusions?

The ruling Republican Party of Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan won almost 33% of the vote, officials said. Prosperous Armenia, a comparatively new political party led by former world arm wrestling champion Gagik Tsarukian, won 14.7%.

European observers said the vote largely met international standards, but that some more work was needed. Opposition groups said Saturday's vote was falsified and have called for mass demonstrations in the capital, Yerevan.

The BBC's Matthew Collin, in Yerevan, said the results were a resounding victory for pro-government forces. A spokesman for the Law-Governed Country Party, Tigran Mkrtchyan, said the results were "grossly falsified".

I don't think anyone expected anything other than this. The Big-2 fixed the election, just as everyone knew they were going to. Did they mess with the ballots? Maybe, maybe not - but they certainly bribed a large number of the population with scholarships, seeds, food, money, and so on.

I think the words "vote" and "Armenia" should be prohibited from being in the same sentence, especially with the results of this election.

Source: BBC News

BBC Gallery of Restored Akhtamar Church

The very awesome BBC just placed a link to a gallery containing seven pictures of the restored Akhtamar Church. If you recall, we covered the pros and cons of this Turkish undertaking: you can find that here.

Here is the BBC Gallery.

Does anyone else find odd all the Turkish flags being flown around the church? Does it serve as a reminder that the church is now located in Turkey or is it a subconscious attempt to show it as a sort of Turkish trophy? After all, it seems to us that this shoddy restoration is merely an attempt to capitalize on Armenia's rich history.

You decide.

BBC Documentary: Inside Iran

While I don't intend to turn this into a Middle Eastern blog, Iran is a key ally to Armenia, in terms of trade, energy, communications, politics, and much more. Not only that, Iran and Armenia share a lot of culture and history, and indeed, many Armenians call Iran home. Considering global events and our relationship to Iran, I think it's only fair that we try to understand the country even more.

It took a year to get permission to make this documentary, so I hope you enjoy it!

Armenian Silva Wins BBC Competition!

From the BBC article:

Armenian singer Silva has won the BBC World Service's Next Big Thing competition with her song I Like.
The 17-year-old was chosen ahead of six other acts from around the world at the final, held in the BBC's Maida Vale studios in London.

The judges praised I Like, which was composed by the singer's sister Mane, as "fresh and new" and described her performance as "second to none."

It's always great to see Armenians doing great things around the world. Go out there and make a difference, all of you!