Early parliamentary elections in Armenia marred by aggressive rhetoric - PACE observers

By Trend

Early parliamentary elections in Armenia were intensely polarized and marred by aggressive rhetoric from key rivals, as well as the exclusion of women from participation throughout the campaign, PACE observers said in their report, Trend reports citing the Armenian media.

According to the observers, the recent changes to the electoral system were taken so close to the elections that they created legal uncertainty and left little time for implementing new rules or informing voters about the changes.

“National security issues dominated the political discourse before the campaign and during the pre-election period. However, the discussions were based on increasingly aggressive language and accusations, which exacerbated the degree of polarization and further diminished attention to the very political programs and policies,” the report said.

"All candidates were free to campaign throughout the entire electoral process, and the antagonistic expressions we heard during the campaign were in no way constructive for an informed public discussion," reads the report.

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