Vardanan directorial election, 2020

Vardanan directorial election, 2020

31 May 2020 (2020-05-31) (first round) 14 June 2020 (2020-06-14) (second round)
2 of the 9 seats (Class 4) in the Directory 5 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	72.3%1
Majority party Minority party   Leader Anastas Barkhudar Tamar Zakarian Party Radical Republican Spirit Leader since 22 September 2007 18 July 2014 Leader's seat At-large Tsaghkadzor Seats before 5 2 Seats won 6 2 Seat change 1 Popular vote 1,232,881 415,796 Percentage 13.7% 4.63%   Third party Fourth party   Leader Nebez Gewirk Almasd Dzolkert Party 11 July Club Radical Renewal Leader since 30 July 2008 30 July 2008 Leader's seat Ayrum Corduene (lost) Seats before 1 1 Seats won 1 0 Seat change 1 Popular vote 3,614,055 99,146 Percentage 40.2% 1.1%
Radical gain      Renewal gain      11 July gain      Radical hold      Renewal hold      No election
Director-General before election Anastas Barkhudar Radical Elected Director-General Anastas Barkhudar Radical

The 2020 Vardanan directorial election occurred on 31 May 2020 and 14 June 2020, to fill 2 seats on the Directory. The election was highly contested in the provinces of Bayazet and Corduene, and saw both incumbents lose their seats.

Both seats were deemed noncompetitive by pundits ahead of the primary elections. However the election quickly developed into a highly competitive election when the Radical Party contested its first primary in Corduene since 2010, and in Bayazet when incumbent Constantine Melikian was defeated by challenger Tigran Saroyan; however, Melikian continued as an independent. Prior to election day, several candidates were injured during a campaign town hall event, ultimately resulting in Melikian's death following the second round of the Bayazet election.

The election in Corduene resulted in the Radical Party gaining a seat in an upset victory over longtime incumbent Almasd Dzolkert. In contrast, the Bayazet election was suspended following the first round of voting due to the death of Melikian who advanced to the second round. The suspension resulted in various legal battles and protests throughout Bayazet, and major cities throughout Vardana, calling for the election to continue. A lengthy court battle allowed the Bayazetan provincial government to appoint an interim director, and ultimately hold the seat until a special election is scheduled. The Bayazet special election is set for May 2021.

Election date and process

According to law, the national election dates are set for the last Sunday in May for first round voting and the second Sunday in June for second round voting, if necessary. Provincial laws govern when and how primary elections are held, traditionally primary elections are held in either December, January, or February. All primary elections in Vardana follow the national two-round model. Each province has a separate filing deadline and different requirements for filing.

Voter eligibility

To be eligible to vote in directorial elections, one must be:

• registered to vote with the provincial election commission;
• aged 20 years old by 31 May 2020 in Bayazet or aged 19 years old by 31 May 2020 in Corduene;
• a Vardanan citizen or permanent resident with at least 10 years of continual residence;
• not excluded or disqualified from voting.

Timeline

Province	Filing deadline	Primary election	Primary run-off (if necessary)	General election	General run-off (if necessary)	Poll closing (VST)
Bayazet	1 September 2019	19 January 2020	9 February 2020	31 May 2020	14 June 2020	7:00pm
Corduene	19 August 2019	29 December 2019	12 January 2020	31 May 2020	14 June 2020	10:30pm

Primaries

Directorial primary elections are held from December until February. Primary elections are either closed or semi-closed, meaning that one must be a registered member of a political party to vote in that party's closed primary, or that one must request a party ballot on the day of the primary election in order to vote in a provincial semi-closed primary. The first primary elections were held in 1991 for the national at-large directorial seat, and have since expanded to be contested in every directorial election since.

Ahead of the 2020 election, only the provinces of Corduene and Bayazet will be contesting primary elections, which are to be held on 29 December 2019 and 19 January 2020 respectively. As on election day, all primaries consist of a two-round voting system, where if no candidate earns a majority of votes, the first and second place finishers face off in a second round of voting to earn a majority.

Bayazet

The first round of the Bayazet primary election was held on 19 January 2020, followed by the second round on 9 February 2020. Ten parties held primary elections, the most since 1988.

Incumbent Director Constantine Melikian faced an unexpected primary challenge, and was ultimately defeated in the second round of voting by eventual nominee Tigran Saroyan. Melikian has since announced plans to stand for the May election as an independent candidate. One of the more notable primaries involved the 11 July Club's nomination of Arman Boghossian, former Member or the Directory and the last Paramount Leader of the Second Republic. Boghossian was elected in a landslide victory in the first round of voting. Republican Spirit's primary was the most crowded, featuring 12 candidates leading into the first round, with as many as 25 in total registering before the filing deadline. Haik Xorxoruni earned the Republican Spirit nomination in a tight second round of voting, only earning 50.1% of votes.

Corduene

The first round of the Corduene primary election was held 29 December 2019, followed by the second round on 12 January 2020. The election saw record high turnout. For the first time since 2010, the Radical Party held a primary election in Corduene.

Incumbent Director Almasd Dzolkert was set to face multiple challengers in the Radical Renewal primary, but the party cancelled its primary on 2 October 2019. The cancellation of the Renewal primary prompted the Radical Party's National Conference and provincial affiliate to hold its first primary in Corduene since 2010, previously endorsing Dzolkert since that time. Five candidates faced off in the Radical primary, with David Kiurikian earning the nomination in the second round of voting after earning the endorsement of Director-General Anastas Barkhudar. Varteres Sumbatian earned the Republican Spirit nomination after the first round of voting and was later endorsed by the 11 July Club, who did not hold a primary election.

Bayazet

Main article: Vardanan directorial election in Bayazet, 2020

 Summary of the 31 May and 14 June 2020 Vardanan directorial election in Bayazet results

Candidate		Party	1st round		2nd round
			Votes	%	Votes	%
	Arman Boghossian	11 July Club	3,609,345	42.3
	Constantine Melikian	Independent	2,896,070	33.7
	Tigran Saroyan	Radical Party	1,108,584	12.9
	Haik Xorxoruni	Republican Spirit	386,715	4.5
	David Kasajian	One Vardana	180,467	2.1
	Zohrag Boshian	Blue-White Alliance	171,873	2.0
	Emmanouel Dadourian	Workers' Party	103,124	1.2
	Sara Krikorian	Citizens United	65,311	0.76
	Haro Tachdjian	Red Rose	24,062	0.28
	Lorin Virabyan	Alternative Reform Party	22,343	0.26
Total			8,567,894	100.00		100.00

Corduene

Main article: Vardanan directorial election in Corduene, 2020

 Summary of the 31 May and 14 June 2020 Vardanan directorial election in Corduene results

Candidate		Party	1st round		2nd round
			Votes	%	Votes	%
	David Kiurikian	Radical Party	141,969	39.6	219,805	54.6
	Almasd Dzolkert	Radical Renewal	153,082	42.7	182,769	45.4
	Varteres Sumbatian	Republican Spirit	33,341	9.3
	Adrine Sevan	One Vardana	13,623	3.8
	Vana Kordvatsi	Blue-White Alliance	11,114	3.1
	Jivan Avietissian	Red Rose	8,604	2.4
	Artoun Portoian	Citizens United	5,377	1.5
	Emmanouel Dadourian	Workers' Party	3,943	1.1
Total			371,053	100.00	402,574	100.00

See also

• Elections in Vardana