EU issues statement on the 2017 parliamentary elections in Armenia
YEREVAN—The European Union on Monday issued a statement praising the April 2 parliamentary elections in Armenia. According to the statement, the International Election Observation Mission saw that “fundamental freedoms were generally respected” and called the elections “well-administered.”
The statement also read, however, that credible sources found that the elections were “tainted by vote-buying” and revealed “pressure on civil servants and employees of private companies.”
The full text of the statement can be read below.
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Parliamentary elections took place in Armenia on 2 April. According to the preliminary conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission (EOM), the elections were well-administered and fundamental freedoms were generally respected. However, the elections were tainted by credible information about vote-buying, and pressure on civil servants and employees of private companies, which contributed to an overall lack of public confidence and trust in the elections. The election result nevertheless reflects the overall will of the Armenian people.
Whilst an unprecedented number of international and domestic observers were provided an enabling environment in which to carry out their work, international non-governmental organisations were not invited to observe, in contradiction to the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document. The International EOM welcomed the introduction of new technologies, which the European Union supported through a project successfully implemented alongside the Armenian authorities, as well as reforms of the legal framework. Despite some minor technical problems, fewer irregularities concerning ballot box stuffing, double voting, counting and tabulation of results were recorded by observers.
The European Union is committed to a stable, democratic and prosperous future of Armenia. Once the electoral process has been completed, we look forward to working with the democratically elected new Parliament and Government to strengthen our political dialogue and continue our support to economic and social reform including on the basis of the recently initialed EU–Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and within the larger framework of revised European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership.
Source: Asbarez
Link: EU Issues Statement on Parliamentary Elections in Armenia