Strasbourg, 24 March 2022 – At its 42nd Session, the Congress examined a report, on 23 March 2022, on the partial local elections in Armenia which took place on 5 December 2021 in 38 municipalities. The observation was conducted remotely, following an invitation from the Armenian authorities.
The report, presented by Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, ILDG), welcomed the competitive nature of the partial elections and the overall transparency of the vote. These elections took place in a difficult political context coupled with the Covid-19 crisis and a recent amalgamation reform in the country. In comparison with past elections observed by the Congress, positive steps towards transparent, fair and competitive elections have been taken and allegations of fraud or violence were rather limited.
At the same time, the rapporteur expressed concern about the overly complicated voting procedures and short timeframes for training, campaigning and registering. The application of quotas led to significant increase in the proportion of women in community councils and this is welcomed by the Congress. The report invites the Armenian authorities to strengthen the participation of women in politics as heads of lists and mayors and to reinforce the regulation of campaign finances and prevent the misuse of administrative resources.
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Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
