CIS observation mission hails Armenian parliamentary election

Shant TV, Yerevan
13 May 07

[Presenter] The Commonwealth of Independent States [CIS] observation
mission monitoring the parliamentary election [in Armenia] made public
today [13 May] its final report on the election results. The
239-strong CIS observation mission that monitored the election from
its beginning to the end has revealed minor irregularities, which
according to the mission head, Vladimir Rushaylo, were of technical
character and have not seriously affected the results of the
voting. The CIS observers have not registered any instance or
complaint about irregularities or fraud during the voting or the
tabulation of the election results. Comparing this election with the
previous ones in Armenia, Rushaylo underscored that this election was
organized better in technical and organizational terms than the
previous ones.

[Vladimir Rushaylo, addressing a news conference, in Russian] The
international observers of the Commonwealth of Independent States
think that the election to the Armenian National Assembly, held on 12
May 2007, was conducted in accordance with the norms of the republic’s
election legislation; recognize the parliamentary election free, open
and transparent; state that the election became a crucial factor for
the stable development and further democratization of the state’s
life; note that the country’s government took concrete practical
measures aimed at ensuring the voters’ right to make a choice freely
on the voting day for developing freedom in the country, expression of
free will and pluralism of opinions; propose other international
observers, who share the findings of the CIS observers, to join this
statement. The head of the CIS observation mission team will send this
statement to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, the
presidents of the CIS member states, according to the CIS practice.