Foreigners Praise Conduct of Armenian Elections

NYT
By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: May 14, 2007

MOSCOW, May 13 ‘ Parliamentary elections in Armenia largely complied
with international standards, Western election observers said Sunday,
in the first positive assessment of an election in the former Soviet
republic since it gained independence in 1991.

Opposition party supporters protested in Yerevan, the Armenian
capital, claiming irregularities in parliamentary elections held on
Saturday. The demonstration broke up quickly, with no reports of
arrests. A coalition of pro-government parties took a strong majority
in the 131-seat National Assembly, according to preliminary results of
Saturday’s election, giving a victory to Prime Minister Serge
Sargsyan, who is regarded as the principal contender in the
presidential race next year.

Elections in much of the former Soviet Union have routinely been
rigged since Communism’s collapse. The results announced Sunday in
Yerevan, the Armenian capital, came after intensive diplomatic
pressure against Armenia to avoid another flawed election.

The United States had threatened to withhold foreign aid if serious
irregularities were repeated, and the European Union had said it would
scale back its relations with Armenia.

In signs of an open campaign, opposition parties held public rallies
without police harassment and were allowed free air time on public
television. `We saw the way in which serious efforts by the
authorities to address problems that marred previous elections can
result in a healthier election campaign,’ said Boris Frlec, the head
of the long-term observer mission from the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe, which sends monitors to elections in the
former Soviet republics.

He said the election’s greatest importance would lie in whether it
helped to restore the trust of the Armenian public, `which has been
seriously undermined by irregularities in previous elections and the
impunity of those responsible.’

Mr. Sargsyan hailed the results and the observers’ assessment. `I am
happy that the international observers have acknowledged that these
were the best elections ever held in Armenia in its 15 years of
independence,’ he said in an e-mail message.

While the observers commended an improvement from past elections, they
noted that problems remained, and that there had been isolated reports
of fraud and double-voting. Opposition parties said that many votes
had been bought.

The observers also criticized Armenia for denying visas to observers
from Turkey, which was responsible for the killings of more than a
million Armenians from 1915 through 1918. Relations between the
nations remain deeply strained, and Mr. Sargsyan was unapologetic on
Sunday about blocking Turkish observers.

`Turkey keeps refusing to have official contacts with Armenia of any
sort,’ Mr. Sargsyan said. `I think it would be unnatural to receive
observing representatives from a country which does not even wish to
have a civilized official dialogue.’

A small protest began Sunday in the capital, with opposition parties
claiming to have evidence of irregularities. There were no immediate
reports of arrests or violence, and the protest quickly broke up in
the rain.