Ahead of Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary elections on 2 April, the European Union is hoping that its significant financial and technical support to the country’s voting process will facilitate free and fair elections.
“We firmly believe that this effort will diminish the likelihood of voter fraud on Election Day and will limit tampering with the electoral process inside polling stations,” the EU said in a press release. “We state firmly that the voting process remains anonymous and that the voter authentication devices and cameras installed in polling stations are not designed to track votes. We laud and support the strong effort by credible local and international electoral observers to cover virtually the entirety of Armenia’s 2009 polling stations, with the aim of providing balanced, objective analysis of the conduct of the election,” the statement continued.
According to the press release, the EU is still concerned by “allegations of voter intimidation, attempts to buy votes, and the systemic use of administrative resources to aid certain competing parties”. The EU has called on all parties participating in the elections to “abide by the letter and spirit of Armenia’s electoral law”, as well as urging relevant authorities and electoral institutions to “implement existing laws in an unbiased and credible manner”.
“We hope the ultimate result of the election will pave the way to a future of prosperity, peace, and progress. The Armenian people deserve as much,” the statement concluded.
