U.S. Embassy: Eelections in Armenia tainted by vote-buying, pressure on voters
By Rashid Shirinov
The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan has also confirmed the information about frauds and violations before and during the parliamentary elections in Armenia on April 2.
The Embass, in its statement released on April 4, noted that it concurs with the preliminary conclusions of the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Mission, noting that the elections were tainted by vote-buying and pressure on voters.
The statement also said that the U.S. 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.
The preliminary results of the elections show that President Serzh Sargsyan's Republican Party is leading with 49.12 percent of the vote, while the opposition coalition behind Gagik Tsarukian - a former arm wrestler and one of the ex-Soviet state's wealthiest men - is trailing with 27.32 percent. The block Yelk ranks third with 7.77 percent, while the nationalist Dashnaktsutyun gained 6.57 percent of the vote.
A number of Armenian politicians, local and international observers and journalists noted that the parliamentary elections in Armenia had many violations and frauds.
International observers from the Council of Europe, OSCE and the European Parliament also noted the violations in their statement following the elections.
The Prosecutor General's Office of the country has already launched criminal cases into six facts of fraud, related to double voting attempt, and a suspect on one case was detained.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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