Armenian voting generally smooth, but vote count and overall process fall short in key respects

YEREVAN, 20 February 2003 - Voting in yesterday's presidential election in Armenia was generally calm and well-administered, but the counting process was flawed and the long-term election process fell short of international standards in several key respects. This is the conclusion of the 200-strong international election observation mission deployed by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

"It is encouraging that election day went reasonably well, but serious irregularities did not enable us to make an overall positive assessment," said Lord Russell-Johnston, head of the PACE delegation.

"While we were pleased to see an active and vigorous campaign, we are concerned about serious shortcomings that were evident during the run-up to the election," added Peter Eicher, the head of the ODIHR long-term observer mission. "We urge the authorities to use the time before the upcoming parliamentary vote to address these shortcomings."

The international observers noted that the participation of nine candidates provided voters with a genuine choice. There was a vigorous, countrywide campaign with active public participation. The election was administered efficiently within an improved legislative framework. The voting process was generally well-conducted, although there were cases of ballot-box stuffing and intimidation of candidate proxies. Serious irregularities took place during the count in a number of polling stations visited by international observers.

The long-term electoral process was clouded by a number of shortcomings. These included patterns of intimidation and cases of disruption of campaign events, as well as one serious instance of violence. There was widespread use of public resources for the campaign of the incumbent. Public TV failed to meet its obligation to provide balanced and unbiased reporting.