The EU has issued a statement on the Parliamentary elections which took place in Armenia on 2 April. According to the preliminary conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission (EOM), the elections were well-administered and fundamental freedoms were generally respected. However, the elections were tainted by an overall lack of public confidence and trust in the elections.
The International EOM welcomed the introduction of new technologies, which were supported by the European Union through a project successfully implemented alongside the Armenian authorities, as well as reforms of the legal framework.
Although the feedback was positive overall, credible sources reported stories of votes being –bought and pressure being put on civil servants and employees of private companies. Nevertheless, fewer irregularities concerning ballot box stuffing, double voting, counting and tabulation of results were recorded by the observers.
“Once the electoral process has been completed, we look forward to working with the democratically elected new Parliament and Government to strengthen our political dialogue and continue our support to economic and social reform including on the basis of the recently initialled EU–Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement,” the EU’s statement concluded.
