Tue 15 May 2007 - REACTION: "Pro-Government Parties Win Armenian Vote"

‘The elections do not comply with democratic values and arouse serious concern over the path Armenia has chosen," the statement of 19 NGOs runs. The authors express their concern about freedom of mass media, the right to conduct rallies, intimidations and assassinations in the election period, large-scale corruption and abuse of administrative resources.

The method applied during the election race, promote atmosphere of fear and insecurity, they say.

"In normal countries elections frequently lead to power change. Democracy is not on a high level in Armenia, therefore, nothing has changed after the elections. The authorities won over the public and neglected them," Avetik Ishkhanyan, the Chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Committee, says.

Amalia Kostanyan, the Director of the "Transparency International" Regional Development Centre, noted that these elections do not differ from the previous ones. Armenia has a long way to democracy establishment. According to Amalia Kostanyan, there were numerous irregularities in the electoral rolls.

"On the eve of the elections an unknown person phoned and demanded the promised money. This is a mere cynicism," she says.

Boris Navasardyan, the Chairman of the Yerevan Press Club, noted that mass media enjoyed freedom for a short time within the past 2-3 months. People participated in the elections as they were more than convinced that their votes wouldn’t be decisive in the country.

Souce A1+, 14 May, 2007

Posted by Gayane on 15-05-2007 - 10:55:37