ACCORDING TO OSCE/ODIHR FINAL REPORT ON PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN ARMENIA, POSTELECTION DEVELOPMENTS DEVALUE WHOLE ELECTORAL PROCESS

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 2, 2008

WARSAW, JUNE 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The pre-election and vote stages of the
presidential election in Armenia were mostly in line with the OSCE
obligations but some problems arose, mainly after the election,"
is noted in the final report of the OSCE Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the February 19 election
in Armenia.

"Although the 2008 presidential election was mostly in line with the
OSCE obligations and international standards at the pre-election and
vote stages, serious challenges with respect to some obligations arose,
particularly after the vote day . <…> It displayed insufficient
respect for the main standards for democratic elections and devalued
the whole electoral process.

There were shortcomings related to transparency and report preparation,
especially in the vote counting process, while the appeal process
was not entirely efficient," the report says.

According to the OSCE/ODIHR director Christian Strohal, there are solid
legal grounds for holding democratic elections in Armenia, while the
shortcomings indicated in the report result from lack of determination
in efficient and impartial enactment of existing laws and rules.

The ODIHR report contains proposals for improvement of the electoral
system in Armenia, including measures on lack of public trust in
electoral processes: ensuring a vote free of violence and intimidation
and establishing a clear differentiation between state structures
and the ruling political party.

The OSCE/ODIHR monitoring of the February election was done with the
participation of 44 long-term and 250 short-term observers from about
40 OSCE member states.