Armenian opposition lawmaker Aram Vardevanyan has accused the ruling Civil Contract party of systemic violations during the country’s June 7 parliamentary election, raising allegations of administrative-resource abuse, selective justice and pressure on opposition figures during a speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Vardevanyan, a member of Armenia’s PACE delegation and deputy speaker of the National Assembly representing the opposition Strong Armenia faction, delivered the remarks during PACE’s discussion of its election observation report on Armenia. He argued that the PACE election observation report documented serious shortcomings in the electoral process, while accusing the Civil Contract party of responsibility for what he described as “systemic violations.” “The election observation report clearly documents that the Armenian parliamentary elections on 7 June suffered systemic violations orchestrated by the Civil Contract party, featuring the flagrant abuse of administrative resources and an unprecedented wave of criminal proceedings explicitly targeting opposition figures,” he said.
These calculated actions by the government generated a deep atmosphere of fear,” he said. The opposition deputy also raised the case of Strong Armenia leader Samvel Karapetyan, arguing that restrictions imposed on him prevented him from campaigning. Today, three opposition party leaders are deprived of liberty under political instructions from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,” Vardevanyan said.
He further alleged that the composition of Civil Contract’s electoral list blurred the distinction between the governing party and the state. Vardevanyan also accused the governing party of using inflammatory rhetoric against its political opponents during the campaign. Turning to the Central Electoral Commission, Vardevanyan questioned its impartiality and criticized the invalidation of results at two polling stations.
Under its own initiative, the results of two polling stations were invalidated, pushing an opposition party below the electoral threshold and transferring additional mandates to Civil Contract. The ruling party hurried to consolidate an artificial and unlawful three-fifths majority, diminishing the values of parliamentarism,” he said. PACE’s election observation report separately expressed concern over inadequate campaign-finance oversight, biased media coverage, vote-buying, misuse of administrative resources, shortcomings in judicial remedies and the consequences of invalidating polling-station results for an opposition party’s representation.
At the same time, the PACE delegation concluded that the June 7 election offered voters “a genuine choice among political alternatives in a well-run process” and described election day as orderly and calm. Concluding his address, Vardevanyan argued that the report should serve as a basis for addressing shortcomings in Armenia’s electoral system. Therefore, the election observation report presented today at the Parliamentary Assembly is of paramount importance.
The Armenian people deserve an electoral process that is genuinely free, fair, and equal. The Republic of Armenia deserves a real democracy in conformity with European best practice. God bless the Republic of Armenia.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
