TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL TO HOLD MONITORING OF ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNS’ FINANCING

Noyan Tapan
Mar 30 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, NOYAN TAPAN. Political corruption is growing in
Armenia and can be destructive for the country. Amalia Kostanian,
Chairwoman of Regional Development Center – Transparency International
– Armenia NGO, expressed such opinion at the March 30 discussion on
the subject Armenia on the Threshold of Elections. She said that the
most effective way of fighting that corruption is holding of free
and fair elections.

A. Kostanian said that the NGO headed by her carries out monitoring
of preelectoral process of 2007 parliamentary elections. The program
financed by Institute of Open Society – Assistance Fund – Armenia
organization has the goal to contribute to free, fair elections free
of corruption. The organization, in particular, initiated financial
monitoring of parties’ electoral campaigns for the purpose of revealing
possible corruption phenomena.

It is noteworthy that according to the Electoral Code, the limit
of financial expenditures envisaged for preelectoral agitation of a
political party or a bloc is 60 mln drams (nearly 170 thousand USD),
while the tariff of one minute of paid broadcast determined by TV
companies is 80-120 thousand drams.

RA CEC members, leaders of parties nominated by proportional system,
representatives of diplomatic representations, international
organizations and NGOs were invited to the discussion. But mainly
representatives of opposition parties took part in the discussion
and only Bargavach Hayastan’s representative out of pro-governmental
parties was present.