PACE TO DEMAND FREE ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Dec 14 2006

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will likely
demand that Armenia "at last" hold elections recognized as democratic
by the international community when it meets for a regular session
next month, it emerged on Thursday.

The demand is contained in a draft resolution that was approved by
the PACE’s Monitoring Committee this week and is widely expected to
adopted by the Strasbourg-based assembly without major amendments
in late January. It stresses the "particular importance" of proper
conduct of the next Armenian parliamentary and presidential elections
due in early 2007 and 2008 respectively.

"It is essential that the next ballot should at last comply with
European standards for free and fair elections, as proof of Armenia’s
progress along the road to democracy and European integration,"
reads the document posted on the PACE website. It deplores Yerevan’s
failure to ensure the freedom and fairness of the previous elections.

The Monitoring Committee report urges the Armenian authorities to
display the "political will" to prevent a repeat of serious fraud
reported by local and Western observers in the past. "A clear message
must be conveyed that in the next elections fraud will simply not be
tolerated," it says.

Still, the proposed resolution makes a largely positive assessment of
the fulfilment of Armenia’s Council of Europe membership obligations,
singling out the passage of a raft of amendments to the Armenian
constitution in a disputed November 2005 referendum. "The revised
constitution is now consistent with European standards and principles
of democracy and the rule of law and offers a new foundation for
developing the democratic functioning of Armenia’s institutions,"
it says.

The Monitoring Committee will specifically ask the PACE to welcome
greater powers given to Armenia’s parliament, cabinet of ministers,
judiciary and local governments. It will also note the fact that
Armenians are now able to challenge government decisions and laws in
the Constitutional Court.

Armenia’s main opposition forces are highly skeptical about the
positive impact of the Western-backed changes, saying that the
administration of President Robert Kocharian has repeatedly violated
the constitution to cling to power. They point to the authorities’
handling of the constitutional referendum which was strongly criticized
by Council of Europe observers.

The draft PACE resolution acknowledges that the enacted amendments
alone will not make Armenia a more democratic country. "Simply
passing legislation is not enough to implement democratic reforms,"
it says. "The Assembly calls on the Armenian authorities to take the
necessary steps so that the law is effectively applied, which does
not always appear to be the case at present."

In particular, the resolution voices concern at widespread reports of
police torture and the authorities’ continuing grip on the Armenian
electronic media. "The limited number of complaints lodged which result
in members of the police being found guilty of abuse of authority
or of exceeding their authority, as well as the greater number of
allegations concerning which no complaint is lodged for fear of
reprisals, continue to fuel the feeling that impunity prevails,"
it says.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress