OSCE Office in Yerevan calls on all participants in the election for
Yerevan Council of Aldermen to display restraint and observe legitimacy

2009-04-11 16:34:00

ArmInfo. Armenia is on the election campaign threshold and under these
conditions the OSCE Office in Yerevan calls on all parties involved in
this process to display restraint, exposure and observe legitimacy,
Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Ambassador Sergey Kapinos said when
replying to ArmInfo correspondent’s question.

According to him, all the arising discrepancies and problems should be
settled exclusively in the constitutional-legal field, by political
methods, without use of violence. In this connection, the OSCE Office
stresses the significance of observance of the principles of freedom of
assemblies and processions, freedom of expression and mass media,
respect for human rights adopted by Armenia and reflected in the
national legislation. "Rights and responsibility are two sides of the
coin. All the participants in the election campaign should display high
political and civil responsibility",- Kapinos stressed. He added that
the OSCE Office follows the developments in the center of Yerevan
related to oppositionists’ processions. Kapinos is concerned with the
fact that conflicts with law-enforcers and cases of violence even
against mass media representatives have become more frequent. He also
expressed hope that the incidents will receive a legal assessment. It
is very important to prevent such cases in the future, and the OSCE
Office in Yerevan calls on all the parties to follow the principles of
proportionality, he stressed.

Kapinos added that at the moment observation of the election for the
Yerevan Council of Aldermen is much spoken about. One would like to
specify the issue of participation of international observers in thge
monitoring of the forthcoming election. As a rule, ODIHR/ OSCE monitors
presidential and parliamentary elections in the OSCE member countries
if officially invited.

In exclusive cases, for instance, as it was in Albania, Moldova and
Georgia, local elections also may be monitored at certain states’
request. According to the data of OSCE Office in Yerevan, OSCE/ODIHR
has received no invitation to observe the forthcoming election in
Yerevan. Regardless of international observers’ presence, the OSCE
Office in Yerevan will contribute to participation of local observers
from NGOs in the election monitoring, Kapinos said.

The OSCE Office in Yerevan also congratulates Armenian citizens on Holy
Easter and wishes them peace, happiness and welfare. Kapinos expressed
hope that Armenians, as citizens of the state, which was the first to
adopt Christianity, will be faithful to the principles of humanity and
tolerance laid in the basis of this religion.