“Both the number of organizations implementing observation mission and the number of media covering the elections in Armenia is evidently more than 8,” said the Head of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office, Artur Sakunts, in an interview with Aravot.am, referring to the draft “Electoral Code”. Particularly, about Article 65 (paragraph 7) of the draft Electoral Code, which says, “More than eight local observers and a representative of mass media may not be present in the voting room at the same time. Where a maximum number of observers and mass media representatives are present in the precinct, the new observers and mass media representatives shall be listed as prescribed by the Central Electoral Commission and enter the precinct in accordance with the list.
The chairperson of the commission shall have the right to permit presence, for a short time, of observers and mass media representatives in a number exceeding the established quantity unless it hinders the smooth voting process. In the case of impossibility to ensure the fulfillment of this point by the electoral commission, it shall be ensured with the support of the Police, upon the request of the chairperson of the electoral commission.” As Artur Sakunts said, it was the most absurd option that could be proposed by any draft, “Indeed, the precinct electoral commission, who should define this 8 people or follow that this number is not exceeded, it will limit the right of the observation mission implementing organization to observe, or the right of the mass media that are not included in this number. In other words, this is really a violation. “The Electoral Code” does not even suggest the principle of determining them. Even if they decide this principle and enshrine by the law, even this may not be the solution. Because in terms of timing, let’s assume 20 organizations are registered, how these 20 organizations are going to carry out their observation mission within 12 hours, let’s say, they decided to cover the whole territory of the Republic of Armenia. It really is an obvious regress even of today’s “Electoral Code”.
The human right activist considers it possible that the number of journalists and observers present in the precinct could be artificially exaggerated, and the observers of the organization implementing an observation mission who intend to conduct a real observations, or the mass media who intend to objectively and impartially cover the event, could be left out of the 8 number, “It seems to me that with obvious consciously, like during the draft of constitutional amendments they displayed an approach, now too, they introduce such obvious drawbacks to removing them later, allegedly as a result of public discussions and due to the pressure, look, we took the public opinion into consideration.”
Ami CHICHAKYAN
