ANTHONY GODFREY: FAIR ELECTIONS ARE NOT ONLY COMMITMENT ASSUMED BY ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT, BUT AN INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATION
Noyan Tapan
Feb 27 2007
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the surveys, though
the majority of RA citizens is going to take part in the May 12
parliamentary elections, nevertheless, many of them are not convinced
that the elections will be free and fair. Acting U.S. Ambassador
to Armenia Anthony Godfrey said this at the opening of three-day
seminar on the subject "Electoral Falsifications and Manifestations of
Corruption Connected with Them" organized by the Embassy. He stated
that fair elections are not only the political commitment assumed by
the Armenian government, but also are an international legal obligation
in the context of precedents of European Convention on Human Rights and
European Court. In the words of Aram Tamazian, RA Deputy Prosecutor
General, in Armenia "criminal liability is determined for falsifying
results of elections or voting, for obviously wrongly calculating
votes, for hampering activity of CEC and/or nominated candidates,
observers, media representatives, empowered persons, for spreading
slandering information for disorienting voters, for voting instead
of other persons." As he affirmed, the seminar will contribute to
working out efficient ways of fighting vicious phenomena in the
electoral process.
On the first day of the seminar the courses were conducted by experts
from Latvia and Estonia.