ARMENIAN OPPOSITION SLAMS WESTERN ELECTION OBSERVERS
AzerNews Weekly
June 3 2009
Azerbaijan
Armenian ex-president, opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian has
directed pounding criticism at the international observers who have
positively assessed Sunday`s municipal polls held in the capital,
Yerevan.
"Council of Europe observers who say the election complied with
European standards are ridiculing either themselves or the Armenian
people," Ter-Petrosian argued.
With nearly all votes counted, the Central Election Commission
announced that Armenia`s ruling Republican Party has won, gaining 46%
of the vote, while Ter-Petrosian, who heads the opposition Armenian
National Congress, came third, winning only 17%. This enables the
Republican Party`s incumbent to retain his post as mayor of Yerevan,
dashing the opposition`s hopes to win enough seats for Ter-Petrosian
to be elected.
Ter-Petrosian claimed the fact that Western countries had delegated
only 15 observers clearly shows that they did not take the elections
seriously.
"If bribes, beatings and kidnappings of local observers, bringing
masses of people from the regions to vote in lieu of Yerevan residents
and rigging the election outcomes are European standards, then we
don`t need them," the opposition leader said ironically. "Let them
apply those standards in their own countries."
The opposition is riled the most by the feedback from the CE Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities, which was the only international
group that observed the poll. The 12-people-strong mission that
monitored the polling in about 200 ballot stations in Yerevan, told
a news conference following the election that it was a commendable
step forward in comparison with the 2008 presidential election in
Armenia. They pointed to some violations, but said they were not
serious enough to influence the overall outcome of the elections.
We recall that violence escalated in the South Caucasus republic
following the February 2008 poll. The opposition refused to recognize
the outcome of the presidential election won by former Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian, taking to the streets. Scores of people were killed,
injured and arrested during the putdown of the mass protests on
March 1-2.
Journalists labeled the mayoral election as one "in which media
representatives were subjected to pressure the most." Commenting on
the statement, the head of the Congress observation delegation to
Yerevan, Nigel Mermagen, said the allegations would be taken into
account in its final assessment to be announced during the Congress`
fall session in mid-October.
The election was the first local poll for Yerevan`s mayor`s office
in the South Caucasus republic`s history. Mayors had previously been
appointed by the president.
The final election outcomes will be announced in a week.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
