Yesterday during the briefing with journalists the US Ambassador to Armenia John Haffern said the following when was asked what problems he had detected during the pre-election campaign in Armenia, “We try to be optimistic and see the light side.” In the meantime, he highlighted that there are certain concerning matters as well, which relate to unequal campaigning conditions for political parties and the use of administrative resources. Haffern also added, “Armenia has many friends and we wish to jointly support the conduct of free and fair parliamentary elections.” In his words, the trainings for electoral officials are very important but the most important thing is the political will of law-enforcing bodies, political parties and opposition. According to the Ambassador, “during the past weeks we see excessive expression of political will,” which he thinks is expressed in the official statements of statesmen. Specifically, he mentioned his determination to deter cases of electoral bribery and to protect the voters’ ballots.
