Heritage Party–Free Democrats Parliamentary Candidates’ List Confirmed

The Heritage Party formally approved an agreement to enter the parliamentary race with Free Democrats party, following the former’s board meeting on Sunday.

As reported by RFE/RL’s Armenian service, the Free Democrats party was set up last year by Ararat Zurabyan, Khachatur Kokobelyan, former foreign minister Alexander Arzumanyan and other politicians who split from the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK). They are believed to have fallen out with HAK leader Levon Ter-Petrossian.

As promised, the list of candidates participating in the election was also determined and confirmed on Sunday. Note, out of 131 parliamentary seats, 41 are elected by majority ballot and 90 by party-list proportional representation. In Armenia, citizens vote for individual candidates on the majority ballot, but vote for political parties on the proportional ballot.

The full list of candidates under the majoritarian system is as follows:

1. Styopa (Stepan) Safaryan (Heritage Party MP)
2. Zaruhi Postanjyan (Heritage Party MP)
3. Armen Martirosyan (Heritage Party MP)
4. Ruben Hakobyan (Heritage Party)
5. Anahit Bakhshyan (Heritage Party MP)
6. Robert Shahbazyan (Heritage Party)
7. Gagik Margaryan (Heritage Party)
8. Garnik Sahakyan (Heritage Party)

The top 25 candidates (out of a list of 101) nominated under the proportional system are as follows:

Raffi Hovannisian (Heritage Party leader)
Khachatur Kokobelyan (Free Democrats)
Zaruhi Postanjyan (Heritage Party MP)
Alik Arzumanyan (Free Democrats)
Ruben Hakobyan (Heritage Party)
Tevan Poghosyan (no party affiliation)
Masis Ayvazyan (Free Democrats)
Styopa (Stepan) Safaryan (Heritage Party MP)
Isabella Abgaryan (no party affiliation)
Arman Mushegyan (no party affiliation)
Anush Sedrakyan (Free Democrats)
Artak Ghazaryan (no party affiliation)
Garnik Sahakyan (Heritage Party)
Anahit Bakhshyan (Heritage Party MP)
Hovhannes Ghazaryan (Free Democrats)
Armen Martirosyan (Heritage Party MP)
Araks Poghosyan (no party affiliation)
Karapet Rubinyan (no party affiliation)
Hovsep Khurshudyan (Heritage Party)
Karen Karapetyan (Free Democrats)
Artur Poghosyan (Free Democrats)
Armen Torosyan (Heritage Party)
Gagik Margaryan (Heritage Party)
Vahagn Ghazaryan (Free Democrats)
Vardan Khachatryan (MP, no party affiliation)

The lists in full will be filed with the Central Election Commission as required by law, reports the Heritage Party’s press service.

Updated 12:28 pm local time, same day: The two parties will be running in the elections on a joint list, but have not formed an alliance per se.