YEREVAN (A.W.)— On April 4, the United States congratulated the people of Armenia provided a positive evaluation of the overall process of the 2017 Armenian Parliamentary Elections.
On April 4, the United States congratulated the people of Armenia provided a positive evaluation of the overall process of the 2017 Armenian Parliamentary Elections.
“The U. S. Embassy congratulates the people of Armenia on their April 2 Parliamentary Election, following a period of widespread competition among various parties and blocs in an environment that allowed all viewpoints access to the media,” read part of the statement. “Election Day was generally calm and orderly across Armenia and voters were able to freely exercise their right to vote.”
The statement supported the preliminary evaluations of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) monitoring team which concluded that the elections were “well administered” with “fundamental freedoms generally respected.” However, the statement did note that the elections were affected by vote buying based on credible information and pressure on voters.
“We urge the Armenian government, political parties, and civil society to work together to address these concerns through existing or new legal and enforcement mechanisms,” read a part of the statement.
The statement also noted that with the help of new technology, guidelines, and procedures, which were administered in the recent election, major irregularities and violations were prevented.
“The United States will continue to monitor and analyze reports from international and domestic election observers, as well as the adjudication of election grievances during the post-election period,” concluded the statement, encouraging all the participating parties to continue engaging in peaceful dialogue.
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: U.S. Congratulates Armenia on ‘Calm and Orderly’ Elections