OSCE PA TO SEND 65 OBSERVERS TO ARMENIA PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
May 7 2007

About 65 observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will come to Armenia
to monitor t~[e country’s forthcoming parliamentary elections, it is
said in a statement of the Assembly’s press service ci culated here on
Monday. Parlia+entary Assembly;Vice-President Kone Tingsgaard [f Sweden
will head the delegation that comprises parliamentarians of Austria,
Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy,ËNorway, Portugal, Russia and France.

The OSCE PA delegation will be part of an international observer
mission in which officials of the Council of Europe, European
Parliament and OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(ODIHR) will be represented.

The international observer mission will announce its conclusion next
day !fter the elections.

Meanwhile, chairman of the country’s National Assembly, deputy head
of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia Tigran Torosyan stated here
on Monday that the electioì campaign in Armenia is going on "normally
and naturally," to which testify <nterim reports Lf international
observer missions,

The parliament speaker~Lnoted that unlike the previous ¬ampaign,
during this one politÌcal forces on tUe whole manage to avoid mutual
accusations and insults. "Desp te the growing tension, the cur<ent
campaign iL distinguished or its participants’ tolerance,|’ the
official~Lnoted.

Torosyan believes that the new parliament will comprise six to eight
factions from different political forces. He thinks the new parliament
will have no deputy groups, because most of candidates to deputy seats
under the majority election system are members of that or other party.

The speaker highly assesses his party’s chances for success both
on a multiparty list under the proportionate system and in those
27 single-mandate majority constituencies where the Republican
candidatures have been nominaed.

The elections to the Armenian parliament will be held on May 12.

Duriíg them the country will elect 131 deputies to the National
Assembly; 90 parliamentarians are rMnning under a p]oportionate andm41
– under a majority electionsystem.

–Boundary_(ID_WveiIQuZV9YBFUqPbs bOVQ)–