Local Armenians Cast Historic Ballots

Local Armenians got their first chance to help select the leader of their distant homeland on Sunday by voting in Armenia’s presidential election at two Los Angeles polling places.

It was the first time expatriates were permitted to vote, and about 600 exercised their right at polls set up at the Armenian Society of Los Angeles’ headquarters in Glendale and at the Armenian Consulate in Beverly Hills.

Many of those at the polls left Armenia before the country’s 1991 presidential election, its first after Soviet rule, making Sunday’s election their first ever.

“It is a very emotional day. They are excited. They are festive. They are proud. Some people are crying; they waited for this moment for a long, long time,” said Armen Baibourtian, the Armenian consul general.

Voters said the act reflects a devotion among emigres that has been crucial to Armenia’s survival.

Armenia has been dominated by foreign powers for centuries, scattering its people throughout the world. “My family was in Iran for almost 400 years, but we kept our identity,” said Glendale resident Mais “Mike” Matevosyan, who arrived from Armenia in 1988.

Those of Armenian ancestry in other countries outnumber the 3.5 million residents of Armenia, and some economists estimate that the bulk of family incomes in Armenia comes from money sent by relatives abroad.

Although California is home to about 500,000 people of Armenian descent, only those with the strongest ties to Armenia voted. The election was open only to Armenian citizens 18 and older with valid passports, limiting participation to mostly recent immigrants, generally holders of U.S. green cards.

Inasmuch as Armenia does not permit dual citizenship, U.S. citizens were ineligible to vote. About 3,500 Armenian citizens registered to vote in the Los Angeles area, and Baibourtian estimated that about half would vote by the time polls closed Sunday at 10 p.m.

Polls were also open in Washington, D.C., Boston and New York, Baibourtian said.

Armenians in other countries voted as well, with large turnouts expected in Syria, Lebanon and France.

Incumbent President Levon A. Ter-Petrosyan faces three challengers in his bid for a second five-year term. Former Prime Minister Vazgen Mukyan is the top contender, along with a Communist Party candidate and an opposition holdout who could force a runoff.

The local Armenian community is divided between the two major candidates, those at the polls said, and the voting took place without controversy.

The ballots will be counted locally, then sent to the Armenian Embassy in Washington before being forwarded to Armenia.

Sunday’s voting will be the last Armenian election for many, because those who become U.S. citizens will no longer be allowed to vote. A large wave of immigrants is just becoming eligible for citizenship here.

Hagop Hovanesian, a member of the local committee administering the election, said he is excited by the “historic vote,” but said he, too, will soon become a U.S. citizen. “I believe that wherever you live, you must become a citizen, to bring your share to the country.”

But Hovanesian and others said that by voting to advance democracy in Armenia, they hope the nation’s economy will grow to the point that Armenians abroad can return to work there.

Armenians working abroad may number more than 400,000--a large share of the labor force in a nation of 3.5 million.

Unemployment in Armenia is about 30%, and the average monthly wage is roughly $60.

Matevosyan, who plans to become a math teacher, said he would like to return to Armenia if the economy improves.

He doubts, however, that his sons, now 11 and 9, would want to return. “They’ve become Americanized, so I’ll have to wait until they’re done with their education and grown.”

Thus Matevosyan now awaits final approval of his U.S. citizenship, making this his last Armenian election for a while. “But if it [U.S. citizenship] comes through soon enough, I’ll be able to vote again in November,” he said with a smile.