PRESS RELEASE
Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)
1250 I (Eye) Street N.W., Suite 710
Washington, D.C. 20005, USA
Contact: Ms. Irina Alaverdyan
E-mail: exrelations@pf-armenia.org
Web:

SUBJECT: POLICY FORUM ARMENIA ISSUES ITS REPORT ON "ARMENIA’S 2008
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: SELECT ISSUES AND ANALYSIS"

The February 19, 2008 presidential election in Armenia was a highly
controversial event which saw mass mobilization by the whole society to
elect the country’s third president. What ensued were reports of mass
electoral violations followed by demonstrations by opposition parties and
civil society movements, killing of protesters, and eventually a martial law
declared by the government.

Published in English and translated to Armenian, PFA’s report is an attempt
to look at the multifaceted aspects of the election and post-election
developments with an aim of presenting an independent assessment of what
transpired. It documents evidence of misuse of administrative resources,
vote buying, and other examples of abuse of power, as well as offers an
analysis of a number of segments of the civil society and post-election
developments. The chapter devoted to statistical analysis of the official
election data states that "given the consistency and strength of evidence of
fraud offered by the four [statistical] tests, the analysis casts a serious
doubt about the small margin of victory of Serge Sargsyan in Armenia’s
February 2008 presidential elections and the trustworthiness of the final
election outcome."

The Report concludes on a sobering note: "The rhetoric of hate and the
deepening of political polarization that followed March 1-2 continue to
stunt democracy in Armenia and cast a pall over the current reality and
prospects for future development. The reality is that election fraud – in the
various forms it took throughout the modern history of Armenia, and
particularly on February 19, 2008 – is largely to blame for March 1-2. One
important lesson from history is that refusing peoples’ free will and
replacing it with elusive benefits of short-term "stability" or, much worse,
with personal gains for a well-connected few will backfire, as it did on
March 1-2. Failing to understand this and take actions to address the
underlying problems will have grave consequences for the country and the
nation as a whole."

The Report can be accessed from the PFA’s website at:
Neither the authors nor the reviewers of the Report have received any
compensation for their contribution to the Report.

Policy Forum Armenia is an independent professional non-profit association
aimed at strengthening discourse on Armenia’s economic development and
national security and through that helping to shape public policy in
Armenia. Its main objective is to offer alternative views and professional
analysis containing innovative and practical recommendations for public
policy design and implementation. Through its activities, PFA aims to
contribute to the creation of an informed public and more effective and
accountable government. PFA’s main asset is its worldwide network of
professionals and leaders in their respective fields, with dedication to
Armenia.