On Friday, the OSCE/ODIHR published its first post-electoral, mid-term report on the Armenian parliamentary elections, which puts the freedom and fairness of the May 12 elections in jeopardy. That report differs considerably from all of the previous reports of the OSCE/ODIHR in which it is stated that Armenia “has recorded general progress in the organizing and conduct of elections”. Why did the observers just now begin to notice the massive electoral violations that took place during the parliamentary elections? That is a different story, but it is a fact that there are essential differences between the last reports.
“During the last stages of the elections, the OSCE/ODIHR observatory mission observed several disparities of the constituted regulations, as well as disfigurations of the best attempt for fair elections that don’t support the strengthening of public confidence towards the elections,” as stated in the report. It is also stated that “the mission has observed considerable differences in the copies of the records confirmed by the polling stations and the preliminary results brought in by the precincts that were summarized by the electoral commissions.”
The OSCE/ODIHR observatory mission has followed-up on the ballot counts and the registering of results in the 108th polling station electoral commission and has observed the summarization of the results in 39 of the 41 precincts.
“In 35% of the polling stations where the count has been observed, the members of the polling station commissions had difficulties in filling out the registration forms of the results and in eleven cases it has been observed that the polling station commission has committed the illegal act of changing the preliminary data of the registration. In the report it is stated that the observers have rated the summarizations of 35% of the precinct commissions as poor or very poor. The observers argue that 14 precinct commissions have changed or have assigned others to change the “preliminary data” of the summarized records of the polling station commissions.
“The packets containing ballots in seven precinct commissions have either not been stamped by the polling station commissions or have clearly been stamped and then reopened. In the 19th precinct commission (in Vagharshapat) the observers have seen how the packets containing the ballots of the Republican Party were taken to the headquarters and then brought back to the precinct commission stamped,” as stated in the report. The mission will continue to follow-up on the process of the appeal of cases to the Constitutional Court. This report has already been presented to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and the RA Prosecutor General.