CEC DENIES NGO’S APPLICATION TO MONITOR ELECTIONS

Armenpress
Feb 06 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s Central Election Commission
(CEC) turned down today an application from a non-governmental
organization, called Supreme Council Deputies Club for monitoring
the May 12 parliamentary elections.

CEC chairman Garegin Azarian grounded the refusal by saying the
organization’s name violates law that requires that non-governmental
organizations must not use in their names such words as ‘supreme
council,’ ‘national assembly’ and other words denoting state and
government bodies. When he was asked to explain why then it was
registered with the justice ministry Azarian said it was registered
before the law he meant was enacted.

The same arguments were cited when this organization was banned
from monitoring the 2003 elections and the 2005 constitutional
referendum. The CEC decided also today not to change the borders of
election constituencies.