OBSERVERS SAY ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA DEMOCRATIC

ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 17 2007

ST. PETERSBURG, May 16 (Itar-Tass) — All observers said the May 12
parliamentary elections in Armenia were democratic.

CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Chairman Mikhail Krotov told a press
conference on Wednesday that the observers had confirmed Armenia’s
compliance with its international obligations regarding democratic
elections, electoral rights and freedom of all participants.

The country has completed constitutional reform and adopted serious
amendments to the Constitution.

An observer mission of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly consisted of
47 deputies and experts from CIS countries. "The electoral commission
worked very smoothly," Krotov said.

Preparations for the elections were conducted in a calm atmosphere
and by law. Irregularities were registered during the voting, but
they were on of a technical nature.

Speaking of Armenian’s attitude towards Russians, Krotov said,
"We did not feel anti-Russian sentiments on Armenian soil."

Meanwhile, Armenia’s opposition party Orinar Erkir (the Country of Law)
is preparing a complaint to the Constitutional Court about violations
during the elections but will not give up seats in the new parliament.

The leader of this centre-right radical opposition party, former
parliament speaker Artur Bagdasaryan said the complaint concerned
the results of voting at 400 polling stations where the party’s
performance was "deliberately understated".

In his words, there was "mass bribery of voters" on the day of
the voting.

Bagdasaryan urged all political forces to provide his party with
evidence of falsifications and violations during the elections.

"If necessary, we will go to the European Court," he warned.

Bagdasaryan, 39, who is going to run for presidency in 2008, admitted
some positive changes in the electoral process. He said law enforcement
agencies had not put pressure on candidates in the majoritarian
constituencies, no theft of ballot boxes had been reported, and no
mass power failures had occurred.

According to the politician, violations occurred not at the polling
stations but outside them.

Earlier, the head of the opposition People’s party of Armenia, Stepan
Demirchyan, claimed that the parliamentary elections in Armenia could
not be regarded as free and fair and the new parliament had not been
formed through a free expression of the will of the people.

According to preliminary results, this centre-left party failed to pass
the 5-percent barrier and was not elected to the National Assembly.

The party, however, admitted its own mistakes and said they would be
studied most thoroughly.

Demirchyan believes, for example, that the opposition should have
pooled its ranks before the elections.

However the European Union said the elections in Armenia were on the
whole fair and free and consistent with the country’s international
commitments.