EU Special Representative: `it will be a disappointment if the
presidential elections in Armenian will just be conducted at the same
level as the parliamentary ones’

December 21, 2007
Yerevan /Mediamax/.

Special Representative of the European Union in the South Caucasus
Peter Semneby stated today in an interview to Mediamax, that the
upcoming presidentil election `is an opportunity for Armenia to take
another important step towards consolidation of its democratic
institutions’.

Peter Semneby told Mediamax about this in a telephone interview from
Brussels, commenting on the results of his two-day visit to Yerevan.

`There is a positive backdrop to build on. The parliamentary elections
in May received an assessment that was largely positive. And the wide
field of candidates for the presidency should provide for a lively
campaign that will stimulate the interest in political life among the
public’, Special Representative of the European Union in the South
Caucasus said this.

`But at the same time, there are also a few question-marks that will
have to be taken seriously. Although the parliamentary elections
received a passing grade, it will be a disappointment if the
presidential elections will just be conducted at the same level.
Instead, Armenia should aim for further improvement. The international
observers noticed several areas with room for improvement, in
particular media coverage, voting procedures, vote counting, prevention
of vote buying, and use of administrative resources. The presidential
election is an opportunity to address the shortcomings that were
noticed last time’, Peter Semneby stated in an interview to Mediamax.