Parliamentary Elections, 6 May 2012

Following an official invitation from the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, and based on the findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission conducted from 30 January to 1 February, the OSCE/ODIHR deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to the 6 May 2012 parliamentary elections.

The OSCE/ODIHR EOM and the OSCE Office in Yerevan operated separately under their specific mandates.

Long-term Observation

The OSCE/ODIHR EOM, headed by Radmila Šekerinska, consisted of 13 international experts based in Yerevan. In addition, 24 long-term observers were deployed throughout the country from 28 March 2012.

The OSCE/ODIHR EOM assessed the parliamentary elections for their compliance with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as with domestic legislation. Observers closely monitored candidate registration, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant governmental bodies, election-related legislation and its implementation, the media environment, and the resolution of election-related disputes.

Election Day

The OSCE/ODIHR requested short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to the 6 May elections. The short-term observers were deployed throughout the country in multinational teams of two to monitor the opening of polling stations, the voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results.

The day after the elections, ODIHR, together with its parliamentary partners, issued a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference.

Co-operation with Other Partners

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe deployed observer delegations for these elections.

Previous elections

The OSCE/ODIHR has observed seven elections in Armenia since 1996, including the most recent 2007 parliamentary and 2008 presidential elections.