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Armenia enters new stage of political development after referendum — Russian lawmaker

According to preliminary results, 63.35% of participants of the vote said "yes" to the reform, the head of the referendum’s central election commission, Tigran Mukuchyan, says

View of Armenian capital Yerevan and Mount Ararat Andrei Babushkin/ITAR-TASS

View of Armenian capital Yerevan and Mount Ararat

© Andrei Babushkin/ITAR-TASS

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More than half of Armenians vote ‘yes’ to constitutional reform at referendum

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. The referendum on switching Armenia from the presidential to parliamentary republic will signal the new stage of political development, Russian Federation Council lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.

Kosachev, who heads the upper house’s foreign affairs committee, said although the voter turnout at Sunday’s referendum was not high, the result in support of the constitutional reform proposed by President Serzh Sargsyan is convincing.

"A country close to us is switching to the new stage of its political development. Peacefully and without drama, in any case, as of today," Kosachev stressed. "Will the new model work better? Only time will show. We wish success to the friendly nation," he added.

According to preliminary results, 63.35% of participants of the vote said "yes" and another 32.35% said "no" to the reform, the head of the referendum’s central election commission, Tigran Mukuchyan, said.

The voter turnout was 50.51% The final outcome will be published on December 13.

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