EU referendum live – Britain has voted on leave or remain

June 23, 2016 By administrator

UK Leave Early results in Britain’s EU referendum showed stronger-than-expected support for Brexit. But votes will be counted throughout the night until a final result is declared in the morning. Read the latest from our teams.

While two different polls put “Remain” ahead of “Leave,” some of the first results declared in the EU referendum were disappointing to the Remain campaign. Unlike in general elections, there is no exit poll and the referendum’s final result is not expected until Friday morning. So here’s some key background information as we go into the night:

– The British enclave Gibraltar, located at the southern tip of Spain, became the first to declare, and came out with a overwhelming majority for “Remain.” Yet other council results appeared to point to a “Leave” direction.

– After initial gains, the pound plummeted in trading, reflecting trader beliefs Britain might in fact have decided to leave the EU.

– Roughly 46.5 million people were eligible to vote. Preliminary assessments indicated a very high voter turnout – as high as 80 percent in some areas.

– Rain and thunderstorms were impacting ballot casting early in the morning as well as in the evening: A few polling stations had to close because of the rains, and voters were re-directed to other stations. With public transport hampered in London in the evening, some voters were stuck, which may have impacted turnout among those intending to cast their ballots after work.

– German Chancellor Angela Merkel, among other European leaders, has said she would “like for Britain to remain in the EU.”

DW’s online and TV teams in London and Brussels will keep you abreast of developments during counting night and into Friday as the UK and EU’s futures become clear. Scroll down to our live blog below.

19 Armenian MPs sign petition to dispute constitutional referendum results in court

December 18, 2015 By administrator

f56741815ec74a_56741815ec7a1.thumb Members of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) parliamentary faction will file today a petition to the Constitutional Court of Armenia. The petition signed by 19 deputies of the Armenian parliament aims to dispute the results of the constitutional referendum held in Armenia on December 6, according to the press service of ANC Party.

On December 13 the Central Election Commission of Armenia approved the final results of the December 6 referendum on the amendments to the Constitution. 825,521 voters (63.37%) voted for the constitutional reform, while 421,568 (32.36%) voted against.

ARMENIA The opposition reveals evidence of fraud in the referendum

December 17, 2015 By administrator

arton119936-480x270 In what he called new evidence of serious fraud, the National Congress (HAK) reported yesterday the huge discrepancies between the official results of the constitutional referendum of December 6 and what was actually recorded in five districts in Yerevan.

Levon Zurabian, an HAK leader, showed reporters the alleged copies of voting protocols provided by election commissions indicating that most local voters rejected the necessary constitutional changes by President Serzh Sargsyan. He compared these to final figures from the Central Election Commission (CEC).

In one of them, the CEC reported 1155 votes for “yes” and “92” for “no.” But according to protocol that was shown by Zurabian and which was signed by local members of the voting station commission, the constitutional amendments were actually defeated by 421 votes against 343.

In another sector, the protocol of the Commission cited by the representative of HAK announced 156 votes “for” and 426 votes “against” the amendments providing for the transformation of Armenia into a parliamentary republic. However, the CEC registered 418 “for” and 169 votes “against”.

Zurabian depicts these conflicting data as further evidence that the administration of Sargsyan rigged the referendum. “People have spent all night contrefaires signatures, develop new protocols at the polling stations,” he lamented.

Zurabian said he had submitted the documents to the Attorney General Gevorg Kostanian. “We appeal to the Attorney General for investigation of these falsifications, identify and punish the guilty individuals,” he said.

The opposition party led by former President Levon Ter-Petrossian has published three days after alleged evidence that the CEC rejected his request for cancellation of the official results of the vote. The HAK now intends to bring the matter before the Constitutional Court. But for that he needs to get the signatures of at least 27 members of Parliament.

Only 17 of the 131 members of the National Assembly have so far signed the call HAK. This is the case of Alexander Arzumanian, a former leader of the HAK, which supported the constitutional reform Sargsyan.

“I am in favor of these changes, but I’m also a legitimate process”, was it justified. “Good things made by fraud are not good.”

Arzumanian added that even if the HAK collects enough signatures to the Constitutional Court, it is almost certain that the call will be rejected. According to him, “this structure has never delivered verdicts justified”.

Thursday, December 17, 2015,
Claire © armenews.com

Armenia attorney general and US ambassador confer on lack of trust in referendum results

December 11, 2015 By administrator

YEREVAN. – The Prosecutor General of Armenia, Gevorg Kostanyan, on Friday met with US Ambassador Richard Mills.

They discussed the avenues for increasing public trust toward the results of the recent referendum on constitutional amendments in the country.

Kostanyan told reporters that he and the ambassador noted that the investigations, which are launched into the criminal cases on voting fraud, need to be very open so that there will no doubts among the public.

Nonetheless, the attorney general stated that he has no reason at this time to question the legitimacy of the plebiscite results.

The referendum on Armenia’s constitutional amendments was conducted on December 6.

Pursuant to these amendments, the country will make a transition from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary system of governance, and conduct completely proportional parliamentary elections.

The opponents of these amendments, however, consider them to be primarily the authorities’ attempt to hang on to power.

According to preliminary data by the Central Electoral Commission, a total of 63.35 percent of the voters said “yes” to these amendments, whereas 32.35 percent voted “no” in this plebiscite.

Certain chapters of Armenia’s new Constitution to be enforced ten days after referendum results announced – Hovhannes Sahakyan

December 8, 2015 By administrator

Certain chapters of Armenia’s new constitution, including the ones on human rights and freedoms, laws, parliament’s messages and resolutions, as well as the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman), can be enforced soon, as envisaged by the transitional provisions – the day after the new constitution is promulgated provided it has been approved by means of a referendum.

Hovhannes Sahakyan, Chairman Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, Parliament of Armenia, told Tert.am that the essence of the first three chapters and, generally, of transitional provisions is that such comprehensive documents are normally gradually enforced.

“That is, other laws stemming from the Constitution need regulating. And this is the purpose of transitional provisions,” Mr Sahakyan said.

All the constitutional provisions will gradually be enforced until 2018, after the Armenian president’s term of office expires.

Armenia fraud claims mar referendum on constitution

December 7, 2015 By administrator

President Sargsyan’s term ends in 2018

Serious irregularities tainted a referendum on Armenian constitutional reform, opposition MPs and independent European observers say.

Sunday’s vote showed majority approval for boosting the prime minister’s role and making the president’s job largely ceremonial, according to official data.

But MPs from the Council of Europe said voting lists were inaccurate and “too many citizens” saw the reform as a vehicle for President Serzh Sargsyan.

He could become prime minister in 2018.

Armenia’s electoral commission said 63.35% of the electorate voted for the constitutional reform.

The turnout was just over 50%, making it valid.

But the head of the No camp, opposition MP Levon Zurabyan, complained of large-scale vote-rigging.

“There were mass cases of ballot-stuffing, violence, pressure, vote-buying,” he said.

He and some other opposition MPs boycotted Monday’s parliament session in protest. Hours earlier, hundreds of people joined a protest rally in the capital, Yerevan.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) raised similar concerns about the vote, and said the run-up to it had been marred by “little public debate”.

The low turnout “reflects the fact that the referendum was driven by political interests instead of the needs of the Armenian public”, it said.

And the reform “was understood by too many citizens as being a means for the current president to remain in power after the end of his second (and what would have been final) term”. The Council of Europe is the top European human rights watchdog.

Lene Wetteland of the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) said “we are disappointed by both the campaign and the vote itself.

“The (ruling) Republican Party of Armenia exerted serious pressure on both observers and journalists,” she said.

Armenia: Preliminary outcomes of constitutional referendum unveiled: ‘Yes’ outnumbers ‘No’

December 6, 2015 By administrator

(Tert.am) Report

Based on the vote count in 75 polling stations, the positive votes have a considerable advantage. According to CEC Secretary Armen Smbatyan, 18,006 individuals or 76.94% of the registered voters voted in support of the reforms; the number of those voting “No” is 4,797 (20.5%). Smbatyan also elaborated on the available voting outcomes in Yerevan and the regions. In five polling stations of the capital, 2,251 individuals voted “for” and some 601 – “against” the proposed amendments. In one polling station of the region of Ararat, 349 voted “in favor” and 39 “against” the constitutional changes. The vote count in 14 polling stations of Armavir revealed that 4,645 voters supported the reforms; only 1,268 voted “against”. In the region of Gegharkunik, a total of 2,566 voters voted “Yes” and another 444 – “No” in five polling station. In nine polling stations of Lori, 2,212 individuals voted in favor of the bill, with only 466 voting “against”. There were 1,024 ballot-papers with “Yes” and only 219 with “No” in seven polling stations of Kotayk. In 10 polling stations of Shirak, the negative and positive votes’ number was respectively 1,024 and 219. As for the region of Syunik, the vote count in nine polling stations revealed 478 positive votes against 58 negative ones. In six polling stations of Vayots Dzor, the new constitution received support by 1,746 voters; only 214 voted against. In three polling stations of Tavush, 830 voted “Yes” and another 583 – “No”.

________________________________________________________________________________

23։53

The vote count in 46 polling stations reveals that 8,539 voters (77.13%) cast ballots in favor and another 2,226 (20.11%) – against the proposed bill.

________________________________________________________________________________

Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has published the preliminary outcomes of the Sunday constitutional referendum.
The results are being updated online.

As of 11:34pm Yerevan time, the ballot-papers in 24 polling stations were processed. The vote count revealed that 6,043 individuals (or 76.25% of the total number of voters) voted in favor of the proposed reforms; the negative votes’ number was 1,590 (20.76%) in the said electoral precincts.
In a preliminary report released after the end of the voting, the CEC said that a total of 1,296,368 Armenian citizens (or 50.51% of registered voters) headed to the polls.

Armenia Referendum: Fraud in Armenia

December 6, 2015 By administrator

Illustration

While Armenians are called to speak that day for or against the reform of the Constitution, the Armenian section of Transparency International, fighting against corruption, this morning reveals several cases of fraud.

The most obvious at this time. A man holding currency and comes vote twice.

Polling station 10/20 – School 110, a porter breaks the hardware of a journalist.

Sunday, December 6, 2015,
Jean Eckian © armenews.com

No, thanks. Armenia’s opposition rallies against referendum

December 5, 2015 By administrator

Critics say proposed changes to constitution are intended to extend the term of the president. Global Voices reports

Armenians will go to the polls on Sunday to vote on whether their country should be a presidential or a parliamentary republic, a move critics see as an attempt to extend the president’s power.

If the government’s proposal is accepted, the role of the president would be downgraded to a figurehead position elected by parliament every seven years.

The position of prime minister backed by the parliamentary party would become more powerful.

Analysis Three weddings and a fuel subsidy as Armenia’s electricity protests spread

President’s offer to finance price hikes does little to quell the fervour as thousands of demonstrators remain on the streets. EurasiaNet.org reports

The government has said the reforms are meant to stabilise the political system but the opposition claims that the initiative is aimed at allowing the president, Serzh Sarkisian, to maintain his grip on power by shifting jobs when his second presidential term comes to an end in 2018.

The No campaign

Those opposed to the constitutional reforms are a conglomerate of civic activists and opposition political parties including the Armenian National Congress.

Powered by social media, the counter campaign represents rising public frustration with a government overwhelmingly perceived as corrupt, self-serving, and out-of-touch.

In this sense the campaign has picked up where the Electric Yerevan protests, which saw people take to the streets for three weeks in June, left off.

Armenia’s Electric Yerevan protests – in pictures

View gallery

The protests started as an objection to an increase in electricity tariffs and sparked a debate around social, economic, and political problems in a way that formal politics had previously failed to do.

The largely peaceful demonstrations were eventually dispersed by police violence (a move condemned by rights monitors) but succeeded in forcing concessions from the government.

The price rise instituted by the Russian energy company that controls Armenia’s electricity grid was subsequently subsidised by the government, and discussions about political reform were instituted.

The Nomovement has also become a vehicle for the public to express their dissatisfaction.

For the moment — barring a peaceful pre-referendum rally in the capital on 1 December— the debate is largely playing itself out on television and online, mostly on Facebook.

One group page features photographs of supporters holding No signs, with many Armenians changing their profiles and cover images to register support. Others havebeen changing the government-sanctioned message, Asa Ayo (Say yes), to No, thanks.

Vote rigging

The campaign has played on public fears of government cheating. A cartoon created by Armenian media outlet MediaLab that shows a dead person in a coffin casting a Yes ballot with the words , “we are carrying out the last wishes of the deceased”, has been widely shared.

The cartoon gathered traction following the discovery of a man registered to vote who had been born in 1895, making him 120 years old at the time of the referendum.

And a recent survey carried out by the Compass Research Centre found a surplus of 845 voters at one polling station. It also found that three in 10 addresses registered in the city of Gyumri did not actually exist, reported independent news site Press.am.

Anger towards the government is also apparent in political graffiti , popping up around Yerevan.

Despite signs of a growing civic movement against the government, the No campaign has the odds stacked against it, with the government accused of blocking rallies and rushing the vote through with only a month’s notice to hamper campaigning.

More than 61% of Greeks say ‘No’ in crucial bailout referendum – early results

July 5, 2015 By administrator

More than 60 percent of Greeks have voted “No” in Sunday’s referendum on the bailout deal and austerity measures, reported the Interior Ministry after more than 40 percent of the vote had been counted.

About 9.9 million Greeks were eligible to take part in the vote, which was labeled #Greferendum on social media. report RT

The “No” victory has been predicted by several opinion polls, including GPO, Metron Analysis and MRB, whose polls were released after the end of the voting.

Before the results were announced, the parliamentary spokesman for the ruling Syriza party, Nikos Filis, told Greek television that “No’”s prevalence in these polls indicated that Greek government can now make a deal with the Troika of international creditors.

I think this is guidance for the government…to move forward quickly to seek a deal and normalise the banking system,” he said.

In the meantime, Greek government spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis told state TV that Athens is planning to resume the talks with the Troika.

“The negotiations which will start must be concluded very soon, even after 48 hours,” Sakellaridis said, “We will undertake every effort to seal it soon.”

Proponents of the“Yes”vote argued that a “No”vote may lead to Greece’s exit from the Eurozone, and potentially the EU.

The talks between Greece and the Troika of international creditors – the EU, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund – have stalled since June, after the Eurogroup declined to prolong a financial aid program for Greece or delay payments on earlier debts.

Greece, which has been in crisis since 2009, was supposed to make an IMF loan payment of €1.6 billion by June 30 but failed to do so. It is required to make another major payment of €3.5 billion to the ECB on July 20.