The evidence below summarizes a vast, illegal operation of state resources in favor of the incumbent. The breadth of the evidence shows that these are more than isolated violations, committed by campaign volunteers acting on their own accord. They point to an orchestrated, sophisticated effort to ensure the outcome of the presidential election. They signal that February 18, 2013 will follow in the footsteps of the 2012 Parliamentary election, which several analysts recognized as the most corrupt and fraudulent in the Republic of Armenia’s history, and whose shadow has scared off much opposition participation in the current election and nearly all sense of hope among citizens that their votes can count.
Some of the abuses are blatant violations, others are hidden. It is important to treat each incident in the proper, larger context, and not as an equal act against the law. In this respect, the visible incidents have become the least important variable in the illegitimacy of Armenian elections.
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Illegal Use of Public Buildings
These violations speak for themselves. The law they visibly violate is Article 20, Point 2 of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia: “Campaign posters may be posted only in places envisaged by this Article. It shall be prohibited to post campaign posters on buildings occupied by state government bodies or local self-government bodies, on or inside public catering or trading facilities and on or inside public transportation means, irrespective of the form of ownership.”
Also according to the Electoral Code, campaign headquarters may not to be located in the premises occupied by state and local self-governing bodies, or in the buildings in which electoral commissions function.
The importance of this category is primarily symbolic. The blatant violation of electoral law on public buildings across the country only hints at the operations being conducted within. Likewise, advertisements on shops matter less for their legal transgression than for their context: Every business must have its license renewed annually.
See the official campaign website for the photos corresponding to each of these violations.
www.raffi4president.am/violations
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Erebouni, Jrashen |
Jrashen’s village municipality building displays campaign posters of Serzh Sargsyan. Reported by Seda Melikyan. |
21.01.2013, 16:00 |
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Vayots Dzor Region, Ketchut Village |
Serzh Sargsyan’s campaign posters are displayed on the windows of Ketchut community’s Culture House. Reported by MP Tevan Poghosyan. |
26.01.2013, 14:00 |
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Kotayk Region, Charentsavan Town |
Serzh Sargsyan campaign regional headquarters is located in Charentsavan’s arts school, a public building. Reported by Gevork Sahakyan. |
28.01.2013 15:00 |
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Yerevan, Arabkir District |
The logo of the Republican Party of Armenia is displayed on a residential building. Reported Anahit Hovannisian. |
30.01.2013 11:00 |
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Yerevan, Erebuni, Atoyan 13 tunnel |
Republican Party headquarters located in Hamaynadirutyun (local municipality) building. Reported by Gevork Karapetyan. |
31.01.2013 16:00 |
| Aparan, Gntunik | Several posters of Serj Sargsyan appear on Gntunik’s Supermarket. |
31.01.2013 |
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Aparan |
A photo of Aparan town’s fish shop, which displays Serzh Sargsyan campaign material. In Armenian letters is written the price of the trout sold in the shop. (Ishkhan: 1500 AMD.) Reported by Gevork Sahakyan.
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01.02.2013 17:00 |
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Inside Police Forces base # 1033. The motto under the picture is Serj’s 2008 motto. |
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Ajapnyak, Yerevan 3 Shinarner St. |
Serzh Sargsyan’s campaign flag containing his electoral motto is hung in the shop’s window.
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03.02.2013 11:00 |
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Yerevan |
Serzh Sargsyan campaign posters are seen printed in 300 copies. |
03.02.2013 |
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Yerevan Arno Babajanyan St. |
A number of Serzh Sargsyan posters are displayed on the street, larger than six square meters in size. |
04.02.2013 14:30 |
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Ararat |
Republican Party electoral headquarters is located in the same building as the Artashat Municipality and Ararat Governor’s Office. Reported by Mayis Miqayelyan. |
05.02.2013 |
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Ashtarak |
Serzh Sargsyan electoral headquarters are located on the first floor of the Ashtarak Municipality building. |
05.02.2013 |
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Erebuni, Yerevan |
The Erebuni Municipality building has two entrances, one for the Municipality and one for the Social Security Department. The latter serves also as an entrance to the Republican Party’s campaign office. |
05.02.2013 |
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Yerevan, Zeytun District, 7 ½ Aharonyan St. |
Serzh Sargsyan campaign headquarters is located in the premises of the Zeytun territorial agency of social service. Reported by Gevorg Karapetyan.
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05.02.2013 11:30 |
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Aparan, Kuchak Village |
Serzh Sargsyan’s campaign posters are placed on the markets and the pharmacy. Reported by Stepan Hasan-Jalalyan. |
05.02.2013 11:30 |
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Yerevan, 52 Mashtots Blvd. |
A poster for Serzh Sargsyan campaign headquarters is placed on the hostel of Yerevan State University. Reported by Stepan Hasan-Jalalyan. |
05.02.2013 11:30 |
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Yerevan, Azatutyun Blvd. |
Serzh Sargsyan campaign posters are displayed on public catering venues and trade facilities. |
05.02.2013 14:25 |
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Shirak Region, Azatan Village 35/1 Electoral Precinct |
Serzh Sargsyan posters are displayed outdoors on the precinct walls. |
12.02.2013 12:00 |
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Yerevan, Arabkir District, 80 Avetisyan St. |
Serzh Sargsyan campaign headquarters are located inside a residential Arevik Condominium building. Reported by Heritage volunteers. |
12.02.2013 |
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Yerevan, Arabkir District, Artsruni St. |
The street is decorated with Serzh Sargsyan flags. Reported by Heritage volunteers. |
12.02.2013 |
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Arakadzodn Region, Aparan, Aparan Hospital |
The hospital walls are covered with Serzh Sargsyan posters. The reception area is adorned with Serzh Sargsyan campaign materials. Reported by Gevork Sahakyan. |
13.02.2013 11:30 |
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Yerevan |
Five large Serzh Sargsyan posters are displayed on the walls of the Karen Demirchyan Concert Hall, without any publisher information. |
14.02.2013 |
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Artik |
Large Serzh Sargsyan poster is displayed on Artik Jewelry Center.[1] |
15.02.2013 |
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Yerevan, Erebuni |
The volunteers of Erebuni district inform that the Mushkan village head’s office is located in the same building as the pre-electoral headquarters of Serzh Sargsyan is established.
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15.02.2013 13:00 |
WRONGFUL OBSTRUCTION OF CAMPAIGNING
Various officials have attempted to impede campaigning. This is another category in which the visible practice is not as important as what it signifies about the role of public officials and how they’ve been instructed to ensure incumbent victory by any means.
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Ararat district, Vanashen |
Village head Krikorian impeded the process of Heritage campaigners. Reported by Mayis Mikaelyan. |
24.01.2013 14:00 |
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Yerevan |
Raffi Hovannisian’s official website www.raffi4president.am was attacked by hackers, traced to Finnish proxy servers from Armenia. |
29.01.2013 15:10 |
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Yerevan, Sasuntsi Tavit, 70/1,70/2, 70/3
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Distribution of campaign materials impeded. Reported by Seda Melikyan. Reported also to police. |
31.01.2013 16:10 |
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Yerevan, Malatya-Sebastia district |
Group of locals obstructed Heritage party volunteers’ free access to a building to distribute campaign matierals.
Heritage volunteers also reported being followed after the incident. |
01.02.2013 22:00 |
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Yerevan, Arabkir district 5/13 Arabkir |
Head of condominium building tried to hinder booklet distribution. |
04.02.2013 14:00 |
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Yerevan, Andranik St. |
Volunteers visiting a veteran’s home on Andranik street were not permitted to distribute materials to inhabitants. Employees confiscated the brochures from Heritage volunteers. |
02.02.2013 15:00 |
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Yerevan, Davtashen District Loukashen St. |
Heritage Party campaigners were wrongfully prevented from distributing brochures. The confrontation was filmed.[2] “This street is our territory,” the obstructer said. |
08.02.2013 |
ABUSE OF STATE RESOURCES
As the OSCE noted, nine out of ten regional governors in Armenia took leave of their posts to campaign for Serzh Sargsyan. This “campaigning” takes no form apart from mobilizing state resources either to guarantee votes for the incumbent, issue bribes, or heavily
pressure both state workers and constituents with threats of unemployment, prosecution of past debts, etc. In the case of one village councilmember in Argina, it has taken the form of heading his precinct’s Electoral Commission.
There have been several reported and recorded incidents of schools forcing their pupils to attend Serzh Sargsyan rallies during the school day, and of holding parent-teacher meetings to instruct them to vote for the president. Education Minister Armen Ashotyan has claimed to order disciplinary action on three school heads for forcing children to attend rallies[3], but his statements have resulted in no known punishment and are clearly public-relations gestures in response to visible evidence. The claim that such a widespread practice can take place without the knowledge and instruction of regional governors—particularly when the schoolchildren have been featured prominently in Sargsyan campaign commercials—is absurd on its face.
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Yerevan |
Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan called a meeting with school principals from the Shengavit administrative district in A. Tigranyan musical school. The administrators were given precise instructions on how to participate in the upcoming elections and campaign, including making sure that all their teachers vote for Serzh Sargsyan and urge parents of pupils to do same. |
18.01.2013 17:30 |
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Masis district
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Schoolchildren were forcibly gathered from their classrooms to attend Serzh Sargsyan rallies, disrupting the educational process. |
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Ijevan district |
Student quote:
“Today my principal entered the classroom and announced that the whole class as one has to be at the square tomorrow, because Serzh is coming. Doesn’t matter who you are and where you are— you must be present. I said that I have lessons and I cannot make it and he answered that it wasn’t his concern and that I had to be present. He told the homeroom teacher to make a list of students who do not show up at the square and present it to him, which he then has to submit to the HHK office of Ijevan. It turns out I’m a student at a politicized school.” |
from iditord.org |
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Yerevan, Arabkir District, Shirvanzade School |
Arabkir district governor met with parents and teachers at the school to deliver pre-electoral propaganda and urge them to vote for Serzh Sargsyan. In a filmed interview, one of the teachers from the meeting says they were directed to vote for Sargsyan.[4] Reported by Daniel Ionessian. |
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Yeghvard |
Employees of state institutions are forced to attend Serzh Sargsyan campaign events, along with busloads of people brought in from other locations. |
31.01.2013 |
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Armavir Region, Argina Village 21/43 Precinct Electoral Commission |
Argina village councilmember Grigoryan Artavazd Vardgesi is appointed to be chief of the Precinct Electoral Commission by the Republican Party of Armenia. Reported by Hovsep Ghazaryan. |
29.01.2013 14:00 |
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Vanadzor |
During Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to Vanadzor, teachers and employees of a number of schools and kindergartens during the workday were obliged by their directors to attend the meeting with Sargsyan. The source preferred to remain anonymous. However, Arthur Sakunts confirmed this information in an interview with Aravot newspaper.[5]
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02.02.2013 14:00 |
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Davtashen School #192 |
A parent-teacher meeting was held in which the principal, Alla Albertovna, openly campaigned for Serzh Sargsyan. The meeting was captured on video.[6] |
08.02.2013 17:00 |
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Kentron District, Yerevan, Shengavit School #74 |
At a parent meeting, school principal actively urged parents to vote for Serzh Sargsyan. Reported by Susanna Maradyan. |
11.02.2013 12:30 |
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Ashtarak |
Mayor of Ashtarak held a meeting with parents at Sikasyan #5 High Cchool in which he urged them to vote for Serzh Sargsyan. Meeting was filmed.[7] |
12.02.2013 |
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Shirak Region, Gyumri, Fodon School |
On February 9, the principal of the school mandated that each teacher bring 10 students to the local Serzh Sargsyan rally. Reported by Haik Karapetyan. |
13.02.2013 02:13 |
VOTER INTIMIDATION & BRIBERY
There are multiple reports that employees from nearly every ministry—transportation, armed forces, education among them—have been instructed to vote for the incumbent. The most widespread method of voter intimidation is serial collection of passport data, orchestrated by various municipalities. Evidence of this practices indicates that it has been inflicted on thousands nationwide. According to the numerous citizens who have reported, the calls for passport information always contain a strong urge to vote for Serzh Sargsyan, or an outright threat. The need given for collecting is frequently to “ensure” that the citizen votes for Sargsyan. Sometimes it is accompanied with a bribe.
Passport data collection facilitates intimidation, bribery, and vote fraud. Few witnesses are willing to go on the record with their names, out of fear. In one case recorded below, a household had its gas supply cut off, when refusing to consent to vote for Serzh Sargsyan to the utilities operator who had asked for their passport data. At first willing to testify on camera, the family changed its mind the next day and wished to remain silent. Nevertheless, some have come forth, and their testimony speaks volumes.
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Aragodzotn region, Ashtarak |
Power distributor is organizing the gathering of citizens’ passports to verify who is voting for Serzh. Reported by Mary Matevosyan |
21.01.2013 9:30 |
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Yerevan, Ajapnyak district |
Two women visited a citizen at his flat – visited fellow neighbors of that building to demand and record their passport details. Source wish to remain anonymous. | 22.01.2013, but reported on
23.01.2013 |
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Yerevan, Shengavit district, dormitories |
Citizens passports throughout the dormitory were collected. Source wishes to remain anonymous. |
Took place on 22.01.2013, but reported on 23.01.2013 |
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Yerevan, Sari Tagh Neighborhood 8th Building, 35/1
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Name: Vardanyan Alina
Telephone: 374 10 (55.01.18); (374 91) 55.01.19 Vardanyan received a call from Serzh Sargsyan campaign headquarters. She was told that they have a list under their disposal, according to which Vardanyan must vote for Serzh Sargsyan. Alina Vardanyan provided written testimony of this at the Heritage Campaign Headquarters. |
29.01.2013 |
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Gegharkunik, Gavar State University |
The university’s administration collected lecturers’ passports. |
02.02.2013 12:00 |
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Shirak region, Artik town |
Current mayor of town is the head of the town’s electoral headquarters of Serzh Sargsyan. He actively arranges assemblies with local people and collects passport information of state employees. |
02.02.2013 13:00 |
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Yerevan |
Citizen witnessed district’s gas inspector demand passports of families to include them in a list of people who are voting for Serzh Sargsyan. Woman refused, gas inspector turned off gas to the apartment due to “existing debts.” |
02.02.2013 13.00 |
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Yerevan |
The editorial staff of the news center received a complaint from Kentron #17 Polyclinic which is under the supervision of Yerevan’s Municipality. They were informed that the polyclinic administration forced the doctors, nurses and all the employees register their names and phone numbers in special lists and verify by personal signature that they will vote for Serj Sargsyan on the Election Day by 11am. |
02.02.2013 20:00 |
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Gegharkunik Region, Kartchaghbyur Village |
Kartchaghbyur village mayor Tariel Grigoryan, director of the local public school, forced all teachers to submit passports and at the same time gave a binding instruction to each of them to collect as many passports as possible and submit them to him, or else face serious repercussions. The source preferred to remain anonymous. |
05.02.2013 12:36 |
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Gegharkunik Region, Verin Getashen |
Head of the village collected passports of villagers and gave each of them 10,000 AMD to vote for Serzh Sargsyan. Reported by one of the villagers. |
07.02.2013 14:00 |
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Yerevan, Arabkir District, 2 Shirvanzade Street Post Office #0014 |
Employees of this post office collected the passport data of pensioners telling them that it is necessary for the upcoming elections. Reported by Anahit Hovannisian. |
07.02.2013 14:00 |
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Syunik Region, Kajaran |
Employees of the Kajaran Copper-Molybdenum Mining Combine received a 50,000 AMD bonus while the Combine’s administration advised them to vote for Serzh Sargsyan. Reported by a citizen named Kajik. |
08.02.2013 17:37 |
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Yerevan, Malatya-Sebastya District, Vahan Tekeyan School |
District governor along with Republican MP Samvel Aleksanyan visited the school and gave 40,000 AMD to teachers as bribes to vote for Serzh Sargsyan. |
08.02.2013 15:40 |
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Yerevan, Shengavit district |
Passport data of physicians in several hospitals and medical centers is collected. Reported by a citizen named Isabella. |
08.02.2013 15:00 |
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Yerevan, Ajapnyak District |
Republican Party representatives visit houses of citizens and offer them 20,000 AMD for passport information. Reported by political analyst Karen Vardanyan, whose mother was among those approached. See the original Facebook report.[8] See police report.[9]
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10.02.2013 4:42 |
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Kotayk Region, Hrazdan |
A citizen approached Raffi Hovannisian and asked him for his phone number so he can receive protection from the pressure of local authorities. “If I publicly state my intention to vote for you,” the citizen said, “the authorities will certainly press me.”[10] |
08.02.2013 |
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Kotayk Region, Hrazdan |
Citizens told Raffi Hovannisian that they attended Serzh Sargsyan’s local rally because they were afraid of how town officials would treat them if they hadn’t gone, and were afraid to attend Hovannisian’s meeting because of repercussions from town officials.[11] |
08.02.2013 |
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Citizen reports that the State Protection Service has been collecting passports. |
14.02.2013 |
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Ghegharkunik Region |
As Raffi Hovannisian campaigned in the region, the National Security Service followed him through the cities of Sevan and Martuni and the villages and took face-pictures of all the local residents who had shown up to the meetings. |
09.02.2013 |
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Vanadzor |
A citizen reports that in the area near Vanadzor Chemical Plant citizens are being bribed 3000 AMD per family of four to vote for Serzh Sargsyan, by a locally well-known person named Serozhik. |
15.02.2013 |
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Gyumri |
Reports of bribes being offered. |
15.02.2013 |
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Talin |
Reports of bribes being offered. |
15.02.2013 |
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Yerevan (near Sasuntsi Davit statue) |
Reports of bribes being offered. |
15.02.2013 |
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Ejmiatsin Secondary School #9 |
People are being openly bribed. Reported by Hovsep Khurshudyan. |
15.02.2013 |
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Talin |
Members of the National Security Service followed Raffi Hovannisian as he campaigned in Talin, inquired about his meetings and plans, and secretly filmed/recorded him and the citizens who attended his meetings. Reported by Tigran Sargsyan. |
15.02.2013 |
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Talin |
Passports are being collected in large numbers for various different excuses: opening of bank accounts, provision of mobile calling cards, signing of waste disposal agreements, and inclusion on special voter lists. All citizens registered on those special voter lists have been contacted by coordinators and offered bribes for their votes. |
15.02.2013 |
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Yerevan, Nor Nork |
A citizen named Artur V. reports that bribes of 15,000AMD were distributed in all schools of the Nor Nork district with the stipulation to vote for Serzh Sargsyan. |
15.02.2013 18:15 |
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Armavir Region, Ejmiadzin, Ejmiadin School #5 |
Gagik Margaryan reports that bribes to vote for Serzh Sargsyan are openly being offered at this school. |
15.02.2013 15:10 |
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Ararat Region, Masis, Ghukasavan Village |
The governor of the village and his staff walked through the village offering bribes of 15,000 AMD per capita. |
15.02.2013 16:50 |
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Shirak Region, Sarnaghbyur |
A citizen named Arman Sh. reports that the governor of the village and his secretary have offered bribes of 3000 AMD per person to vote for the incumbent. |
15.02.2013 18:25 |
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Yerevan, Arabkir |
Report of bribes being offered by SAS supermarket owner Artak Sargsyan to vote for Serzh Sargsyan. |
16.02.2013 12:20 |
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Yerevan, Malatia-Sebastia |
Household taxes being waved in exchange for voting for the incumbent. |
16.02.2013 18:20 |
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Ararat Region, Azatavan |
Checks from 3,500 to 50,000AMD to pay land taxes are being offered as bribes to vote for the incument. |
16.02.2013 17:30 |
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Vanadzor |
Heritage volunteers in the city are being informed that bribes were offered to all citizens the day before the election |
17.02.2013 |
VOTER FRAUD
Since 2008, over 180,000 citizens (net) have left Armenia. In 2012 alone, 42,811 more left Armenia than entered.[12] In 2011, it was 43,820.[13] Chart below shows a mass exodus. The data is from the National Statistical Service of Armenia (NSSA). These numbers are conservative.
Since the Presidential elections of 2008, the number of registered voters has increased by almost 200,000. At the final count before the last Presidential elections, there were 2,312,945 voters in Armenia,[14] as of Jan 29, 2013 there are now 2,507,004.[15]
No demographic explanation comes close to accounting for this disparity, and the disparity does not only appear on the registered voter lists. In the 2012 Parliamentary election, an almost identical disparity appeared in the actual number of counted votes. In 2012, over 195,000 more votes were counted than were counted in 2008.[16] In other words, the net increase in votes almost mirrors the net decrease in population.
Given the refusal of the authorities to publicize voting lists after Election Day, this disparity casts an unmistakable light on all practices that can facilitate false voting, multiple voting, and forgery as part of a vast orchestration. Evidence of such practices is already coming to light, though it will be most pronounced on Election Day itself.
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House #14, 6 Shahumyan St. |
Velik Karapetryan, owner, reports that an unknown citizen named Serjik Serob Nersisyan is registered as a voter in his house. |
08.02.2013 17:30 |
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Yerevan, South-Western District, Kindergarten #92, Admiral Isakov Ave. |
Government workers are inquiring and trying to register those who will not vote on Election Day. Reported by a citizen who wishes to remain anonymous. |
11.02.2013 15:00 |
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Yerevan, Arabkir District, 26/2 Aram Khachatryan St. |
Citizens are being provided fake passports. Reported by Anahit Hovannisian. |
11.02.2013 15:00 |
|
Gyumri |
Gyumri citizen Hayk Khachatryan reports that many citizens in Gyumri are being registered in Yerevan so they can perform double-voting on Election Day. |
12.02.2013 |
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Gheharkunik Region, Martuni |
Local citizen Varuzhan Gasparyan reports that many people in the region are being registered in Yerevan so they can perform double-voting on Election Day. |
12.02.2013 |
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Precinct 30/03 |
A citizen reports that his two children–Harutyunyan Harutyun Parsadani and Harutyunyan Garik Parsadani (who do not live in Armenia and are not RA citizens) are registered on the electoral list of 30/03 precinct of Kapan’s Secondary School No 7 and have never been removed, enabling the possibility of false voting. | |
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Saral Village |
A citizen reports that Republican Party representatives are going door-to-door to check which citizens are absent from Armenia so they can vote in their place via 9th form permission. |
15.02.2013 |
|
National |
Republican Party headquarters are preparing color pens in order to verify the votes of citizens who have agreed to take bribes and promised to vote for Serzh Sargsyan. |
15.02.2013 |
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Yerevan |
A citizen who wishes to remain anonymous reports that there are two ballot boxes for each precinct prepared by authorities and ensures that the box full of ballots for Serzh Sargsyan will replace the real ballot box at an opportune moment on Election Day. |
16.02.2013 16:15 |
RAFFI HOVANNISIAN CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS
