ARMENPRESS

INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS SAY ARMENIAN POLLS DEMONSTRATE PROGRESS

YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS: In a joint statement
today, the International Election Observation Mission
for the 12 May parliamentary elections in Armenia
concluded that the elections demonstrated improvement
from previous ones and were largely in accordance with
international commitments, although some issues remain
unaddressed.
The mission commended steps taken by the Armenian
authorities to address serious shortcomings, including
amendments to the Election Code. The election campaign
was dynamic with extensive media coverage. Election
day was calm, with no major incidents reported, but a
few cases of fraud schemes were observed. Some
procedural problems arose during the count and
tabulation of votes as well as isolated cases of
deliberate falsifications.
Some 100 parliamentarians and 300 short-term
observers monitored the elections for the OSCE Office
for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(OSCE/ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE
PA), the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (
PACE), and the European Parliament (EP).
"These elections were a clear improvement and that
is good for Armenian democracy,", said Tone
Tingsgaard, the Special Co-ordinator of the short-term
election observers and Vice President of the OSCE PA.
"Now, more work is needed to further consolidate
this young democracy. That will require joint effort
and will by all political forces. I hope we will see
that happen in the years ahead."
Leo Platvoet, the Head of the PACE delegation,
said: "We congratulate the Armenian people on showing
the will to hold democratic elections. Some challenges
remain, such as intertwining between political and
business interests and improvements are still needed
to the electoral complaints procedure. The Council of
Europe and its Assembly continue to stand ready to
assist Armenia in this process."
Marie Anne Isler Beguin, who headed the EP
delegation, said: "With their participation in these
elections, Armenian citizens have made a further step
towards European democratic values as foreseen and
promoted by the EU Neighborhood Policy. The EU
delegation encourages the Armenian people to continue
in this direction in view of forthcoming elections."
Ambassador Boris Frlec, the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR
long-term mission, said: "Hopefully this election will
contribute to restoring the trust of voters in the
election process. But the election is not over. We
will continue to follow the post-election
developments; only once they have been concluded, will
we have the full picture."
The election authorities generally worked
efficiently and were well prepared for election day.
For the first time there was a central and
computerized voter register. Amendments to the
Election Code provided that women constitute at least
15 percent of each party/bloc list.
In its statement, the mission also noted that the
separation of State and the ruling party appeared less
than distinct in the campaign.
Concerns remain, including gaps in the regulatory
framework for elections, inconsistencies and legal
contradictions. Furthermore, authorities were slow or
non-responsive in correcting irregularities in the
election process.