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ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN URGES ELECTORS TO DEFEND THEIR VOTES
Noyan Tapan
Feb 1, 2008
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Ombudsman of the RA Armen
Harutyunian called on voters to display tolerance during the election
campaign of the presidential elections. "Bright future of the country
cannot be built on intolerance," he stated at the February 1 meeting
with reporters.
He urged electors to defend their votes, their right to vote: only
in this case all the other rights will be guaranteed. For this reason
A. Harutyunian attached great importance to the fight against election
rigging, in particular, electoral bribes. "If elections are based
on bribes rather than ideas, we will have a system, in which it is
senseless to speak about human rights. The political force that buys
votes will not have any moral obligation to the people, it will not
be interested in improving the socioeconomic conditions - so that it
will always be able to buy votes - and it will never promote civil
freedoms," the ombudsman stated.
A. Harutyunian informed reporters that a hot line was set up in the RA
Ombudsman Office: voters, empowered persons, observers, other persons
involved in electoral process can phone by city phone numbers 537651,
539271, 538831, 538577 and by mobile numbers 091.008817 and 091.280206,
as well as contact by email: [email protected] - and express their
complaints about human rights abuses in electoral process. He also
announced that there will be persons on duty in the RA Ombudsman
Office from 7 a.m. of February 19 to 9 a.m. of February 20.
The ombudsman said that the fast response group of the RA Ombudsman
Office will go to Talin to examine the case of beating a citizen
during a pre-election meeting of the presidential candidate Levon
Ter-Petrosian. The public will be informed about results. The ombudsman
plans to meet again with mass media representatives in a week and to
respond to their questions.
Noyan Tapan
Feb 1, 2008
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Ombudsman of the RA Armen
Harutyunian called on voters to display tolerance during the election
campaign of the presidential elections. "Bright future of the country
cannot be built on intolerance," he stated at the February 1 meeting
with reporters.
He urged electors to defend their votes, their right to vote: only
in this case all the other rights will be guaranteed. For this reason
A. Harutyunian attached great importance to the fight against election
rigging, in particular, electoral bribes. "If elections are based
on bribes rather than ideas, we will have a system, in which it is
senseless to speak about human rights. The political force that buys
votes will not have any moral obligation to the people, it will not
be interested in improving the socioeconomic conditions - so that it
will always be able to buy votes - and it will never promote civil
freedoms," the ombudsman stated.
A. Harutyunian informed reporters that a hot line was set up in the RA
Ombudsman Office: voters, empowered persons, observers, other persons
involved in electoral process can phone by city phone numbers 537651,
539271, 538831, 538577 and by mobile numbers 091.008817 and 091.280206,
as well as contact by email: [email protected] - and express their
complaints about human rights abuses in electoral process. He also
announced that there will be persons on duty in the RA Ombudsman
Office from 7 a.m. of February 19 to 9 a.m. of February 20.
The ombudsman said that the fast response group of the RA Ombudsman
Office will go to Talin to examine the case of beating a citizen
during a pre-election meeting of the presidential candidate Levon
Ter-Petrosian. The public will be informed about results. The ombudsman
plans to meet again with mass media representatives in a week and to
respond to their questions.