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    Categories: 2021

Lawyer: Pashinyan campaigned for snap elections using all institutional resources

Panorama, Armenia

Lawyer Robert Hayrapetyan, a candidate on the list of the Armenia bloc for the snap parliamentary elections slated for June 20, accused caretaker Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of campaigning for the early elections using all institutional resources.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the lawyer said Pashinyan “grossly misused” the administrative resources during his visit to Lori Province and his "tour" in the capital city of Yerevan.

“According to the “Joint Guidelines for preventing and responding to the misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes” approved by the OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission in 2016, as well as the 2013 Venice Commission's report on the misuse of administrative resources, the “misuse of public resources” is recognized as the unlawful behavior of political candidates and parties to use their official positions aimed at influencing the outcome of elections,” he wrote.

“These documents point to the use of institutional resources, such as staff, infrastructure, etc., as an example of misuse of administrative resources.

“Nikol Pashinyan, in fact, carried out a pre-election campaign using all institutional resources (official cars, staff, employees of the State Security Service, etc.).

"Misusing the administrative resources, the interim government not only restricts the civil liberties of the people, but also undermines the legitimacy of the state functions, using them not for purposes set forth by the laws and Constitution, but for private political interests,” the lawyer said. 

Greg Madatian: