YEREVAN, DECEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. The early elections of parliament in Armenia passed in free conditions and had broad trust of the people, OSCE Special Co-ordinator of the observer mission Peter Osusky told a news conference in Yerevan.

“Open political debates took place in Armenia including with participation of the news media and online. The general absence of irregularities, including vote buying and absence of pressures, enabled to implement a true competition. All our observers noted that all procedures of the electoral code were adhered. Many of the people noted that the voting and campaigning process was open and clear, and substantial debates have taken place. Observers have also noted that they would also want for such debates between leaders to take place in their countries,” he said.

According to him, they have certain concerns regarding the funding procedure of elections, which creates some unequal conditions.

He added that competitors had the chance to implement their campaigns and all political forces had equal conditions for holding free assemblies.

“The current government of Armenia has expressed its political will on holding the elections in fair and equal conditions, and this government has not encouraged vote buying. But in any case, certain changes are required, and in this regard our organization has submitted recommendations and proposals that we would like to be implemented,” he said.

According to him, this election brought positive energy to Armenia.

“Democracy cannot advance without the confidence of the broad public and it is my pleasure to note that this confidence existed during the election and this was the main characteristic of this election,” he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan