THE EUROPEAN UNION CONGRATULATES THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE, NOTING THAT THE ELECTION WAS "AN IMPORTANT TEST FOR DEMOCRACY"

Mediamax
February 23, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. The European Union congratulates the Armenian
people for the conduct of a competitive presidential election in
Armenia.

The Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on
the presidential election in Armenia reads this, Mediamax reports.

"The European Union notes the statement of preliminary findings and
conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission which
concluded that the presidential election in Armenia, an important
test for democracy in this country, was conducted mostly in line with
OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards. The European
Union welcomes the genuine efforts that were made to address the
shortcomings noted in previous elections.

However, the EU also notes that the report raised concerns about
the electoral process and that further improvements are necessary
to address the remaining challenges. It notes in particular that,
according to ODIHR, improvements and additional political will are
necessary to tackle concerns such as the lack of public confidence
in the electoral process, the absence of clear separation between
state and party functions, and ensuring equal treatment of candidates.

The European Union looks forward to the final results of the
presidential election and calls on the competent authorities to
ensure that complaints are adequately investigated and shortcomings
addressed", the Declaration reads.