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The report on the parliamentary elections held in Armenia on June 7 identifies, alongside positive assessments, issues that need to be addressed.
Hripsime Grigoryan, a member of the Armenian National Assembly delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said this during a PACE session in Strasbourg.
Referring to the report, the MP noted that, according to it, voters were offered a genuine choice in a well-administered process, election day was orderly and calm, and voting was assessed positively in the overwhelming majority of polling stations.
“This achievement is particularly important because these were not ordinary elections. Armenia faced foreign interference and information operations that the report describes as unprecedented for a Council of Europe member state. Nevertheless, our institutions held firm,” Grigoryan said.
According to her, the positive assessment is no reason to disregard the issues identified in the report. “There are issues in the report that require our attention: campaign financing, media impartiality and accessibility. We must work on them, and we will,” the MP emphasised.
At the same time, Grigoryan said that the conclusions concerning the Central Electoral Commission and parliamentary representation require a thorough legal assessment. “Claims and perceptions cannot automatically be presented as established violations,” she said.
Grigoryan also responded to statements by PACE member Edward Leigh concerning the Armenian Apostolic Church. In her assessment, they were based on incomplete information. The MP maintained that the court should determine the final outcome of the criminal cases initiated against bishops.
“Armenian citizens defended democracy, their sovereign right to determine their future and, above all, peace. It is now our responsibility to strengthen all three,” Grigoryan concluded.