"SHAME ON YOU!"

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07:18 pm | June 01, 2009

Politics

"The electoral system of Armenia was finally ruined after yesterday’s
election," announced Amalia Kostanyan, Head of the Transparency
International Organization.

"Yesterday’s poll was a real shock for us. The whole process was
accompanied by infringements of different scale; there was great
crowding and stuffing at polling stations."

Mrs. Kostanyan qualified the election in Malatia-Sebastia district
as the most immoral and cynic.

Together with the Helsinki Citizens Assembly of Vanadzor (HCAV),
representatives of the Transparency International witnesses ballot
stuffing, bribery, violence against observers and journalist and
numerous infringements.

Arthur Sakunts, Head of Vanadzor office, says he was even invited to
dinner. After becoming convinced that Sakunts couldn’t be bribed,
they tried to threaten him: "You have seen too much. We shall glue
your eyes so that you will see nothing".

Election commissions are set up to rig elections," announced
Mr. Sakunts. Amalia Kostanyan quoted a commission chairman: "Do
you understand that I keep a family and solve the problem of daily
bread. I am even ready to kill a human being to keep my family".

What’s the use of speaking about elections if someone says he is
ready to kill a man?" wondered Mrs. Kostanyan.

Unlike international observers, the local ones do not assess
yesterday’s vote as positive.

"If observers said the elections of 2007 and 2008 were in line
with European standards, today they were supposed to make a similar
statement. This is a policy," adds Mrs. Kostanyan.

She thinks 15 people cannot conduct an observation mission and give
a positive assessment of an election. "Shame on them," added Arthur
Sakunts.

Note that the phrases "Shame on them" and "This is a policy" were
not translated for the representatives of the Council of European.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress