ARF-D Polling Booth, Arabkir District, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2007

As mentioned yesterday, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D), one of two minor parties in a tripartite coalition governmen, is currently holding a nationwide vote on which of two senior party figures will be nominated as their candidate for next year’s presidential election in Armenia. Ironically, however, as RFE/RL reported last week, the vote is non-binding.

Spartak Seyranian, a senior party spokesman, told RFE/RL that voters across Armenia will be offered to go to polls from next Saturday through Wednesday to choose between Armen Rustamian and Vahan Hovannisian, two of the top Dashnaktsutyun leaders.

The two men, who hold senior positions in parliament, were shortlisted as potential presidential candidates during a party congress last September. The pro-establishment party is scheduled to hold another congress on November 30 to nominate one of them for the Armenian presidency by secret ballot.

Seyranian made it clear that Dashnaktsutyun delegates will not be bound by the outcome of the plebiscite, the first of its kind to be ever held in Armenia. “Naturally, it will have no legal force,” he said. “But it will be important for the party to present its candidates and to ascertain the public’s attitude to towards them.”

According to Seyranian, polling stations for the consultative vote will be located in special tents to be pitched in Yerevan and other parts of the country. There will be at least ten such tents in the Armenian capital, he said.

The full post accompanied by photographs is available on the Armenia Election Monitor 2008.