armenpress: THREE ARMENIANS ELECTED TO NEW GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT

&nbsp&nbsp AKHALKALAKI, NOVEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS:
It emerged on Thursday, after the Central Electoral Commission of Georgia publicized the official results of November 2 parliamentary elections, that the second biggest ethnic group in the country, Armenians, will be represented in the new legislature by three delegates, who all were elected from single-mandate constituencies. They are Hayk Meltonian, Hamlet Shahbekian and Henzel Mkoyan.

&nbsp&nbsp None of Armenian candidates, included in the party lists, was elected, whereas three of four Azerbaijanis elected to parliament, were on party lists.

&nbsp&nbsp A former Armenian member of Georgia’s parliament, Van Bayburdian, explained that neither the pro-government block nor the opposition gave Armenian candidates lines at the top of their slates. For comparison he said that the representation of national minorities in the new parliament is three time less than it was in the previous one. Only 7 representatives of national minorities are in the parliament, less than 3 percent of the 235 members, whereas they make about 30 percent of the overall population.