5 minute read
The PACE election observation mission, in its report on the June 7 elections in Armenia, has recommended that the Armenian authorities amend the Electoral Code to explicitly require a revote if fundamental representation is at stake, setting specific thresholds and procedures.
According to the report, "the main issues of concern were: the particularly tense geopolitical context, with direct foreign interference and unprecedented pressure, particularly from the authorities of the Russian Federation; persistence of vote buying; misuse of administrative resources in campaigning; major deficiencies in effective, timely judicial remedy for violations; and the disenfranchisement of an opposition party’s electorate, with significant parliamentary consequences."
"These findings confirm the Assembly’s position that elections and their observation do not relate solely to polling day, but constitute a process comprising several stages, each of which must be analysed and assessed in order to reach a well-founded conclusion. The work done by the Council of Europe can be understood through the “electoral cycle”, which provides a guide to each step of the electoral process and is divided into three parts: the pre-election period (legal framework, planning and implementation, training and education, voter registration, electoral campaign); the election period (operations and election day, verification of results) and the post-election period. The PACE delegation therefore encourages the authorities of Armenia to: further strengthen national capacity for identifying and responding to information operations and economic leverage coming from the Russian Federation; strengthen the independence of appointments in election administration; allow a broader range of stakeholders standing to pursue complaints in courts; provide for extended timelines and more flexible remedy for precinct level and overall election disputes; close loopholes on pre-campaign and third-party finance; fully regulate use of administrative resources and sanction effectively any abuse; ensure public broadcaster impartiality and greater transparency of private media ownership; expand counter-disinformation mechanisms and digital literacy programs; end selective prosecution of opposition and ensure full due process in electoral-related trials; review law enforcement tactics for compliance with European human rights standards; guarantee peaceful assembly and the right to protest for all parties; simplify eligibility and documentation for displaced and vulnerable voters; accelerate citizenship and registration processes in line with best practice; amend the Electoral Code to explicitly require a revote if fundamental representation is at stake, setting specific thresholds and procedures.”
The report highlighted that the crucial post-election controversy centered on the Central Electoral Commission's invalidation of results at polling stations 10/51, 35/65, and 12/13. The basis was: at two polling stations military voters were allowed to cast ballots after the legal close of voting; at one polling station party ballots for the National Democratic Pole were absent for most of the day.
"According to some calculations, had these turnout figures been included, Prosperous Armenia might have crossed the 4% parliamentary threshold, securing seats, and denying the ruling party’s 3/5 majority. The CEC determined in a one-sentence justification that “the invalidation of the results in these stations did not affect the overall result,” and declined to schedule a revote. That is a very insufficient justification for the decision, especially given the significance of its impact,” the report says.