OSCE criticizes Armenian election violations
By Sabina Idayatova
The OSCE has severely criticized the abuse of state resources in Armenia in its final assessment of the country's February 18 presidential election.
In its report on the results of the election, the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission said that Armenian officials should refrain from the abuse of state resources, in particular, abuse of office towards their employees and the public at large.
Seven candidates had joined the election race. According to official data announced on Feb.25, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan won with 58.64 percent of the votes. The opposition Heritage party leader Raffi Hovhannisyan ranked second with 36.74 percent. Hovhannisyan did not recognize the election results.
The OSCE/ODIHR expressed concern over the cases of pressure on voters.
The report says that the Armenian authorities should take measures to increase public confidence in the integrity of the electoral process by showing greater respect for the right of citizens to express their fundamental civil and political preferences, as required by paragraph 7.7 of the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document. Officials and local government representatives should refrain from putting pressure on the voters, both during the election campaign and on election day, it said.
The Armenian Criminal Code should be amended to label abuse of power and administrative resources for the election campaign as a criminal offense, the report said.
The electoral commission, the police and the courts, should interpret, implement and observe the electoral legal framework taking into account the meaning and purpose of the law to ensure equal conditions for all participants in the election, expression of the voters' free will and fairness of the electoral process, it said.
"The right to file election-related complaints is unduly restricted, and court decisions on electoral rights may not be appealed. The Central Election Commission and the courts received a limited number of complaints before election day, all of which were denied consideration or rejected. The adjudication of complaints by the CEC revealed a persistent application of an overly formalistic approach, whereby all complaints were either considered inadmissible or rejected. The adjudication of electoral disputes failed to provide for effective redress and to ensure legal integrity and thus fell short of meeting the requirements of paragraph 5.10 of the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document," the report reads.
The pre-election campaign in Armenia, accompanied with the candidates' statements over withdrawal from the presidential races, hunger strikes, and even an armed attack on one of the candidates, shows the climate of political intolerance in Armenia.
Furthermore, in almost all regions of the country, people complained over the collection of passport data, financial pledges, as well as pressure on voters in some cases. Armenian schools turned into a place of agitation, where parents were blackmailed and teachers openly canvassed for the current president.
After the elections, protesters opposing the final results held a rally in front of the CEC, chanting slogans that labeled the election as rigged, and condemned electoral fraud.