April 8 marks the launch of the National Assembly pre-electoral campaign. The U.S. State Department has stated in its annual report on world defense of human rights and programs aimed towards democratization and diplomacy that the assistance provided to Armenia, particularly the continuation of the “Millennium Challenges” program, will depend on the Armenian parliamentary and presidential elections. U.S. strategists place emphasis on the role of democratic institutions, independent media, freedom to organize public meetings, supremacy of the law, and human rights. Head of the observatory mission of the OSCE Organization of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and ambassador Boris Frlets recently announced that the Armenian National Assembly elections are once again in the “center of attention of the international community”. The observers have met with all the Armenian political parties and it is clear that all have expressed their willingness to support the conduct of free and democratic elections. The CIS observers will also follow-up on the elections. The political parties will try their best to appear democratic in the eye of the international community, but these elections are far more important for Armenians because everyone knows that the reports express the interests of the given country. So, the political parties are first and foremost held accountable to the Armenian people and not the great powers.
