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OBSERVERS SAY ARMENIA VOTE FELL SHORT OF COMMITMENTS
Reuters
YEREVAN | Mon May 7, 2012 6:19am EDT
YEREVAN (Reuters) - International monitors praised Armenia on Monday
for conducting a peaceful parliamentary election but criticized
violations of campaign law and interference by political parties in
the vote won by President Serzh Sarksyan's ruling party.
The mixed assessment followed a vote which Armenian leaders hoped
would be a landmark for democracy after irregularities marred the
last parliamentary election in 2007 and clashes killed 10 people
after the presidential vote in 2008.
"Armenia deserves recognition for its electoral reforms and its open
and peaceful campaign environment," said Francois-Xavier de Donnea,
head of the observer mission from the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
However, he added that "in this race, several stakeholders too often
failed to comply with the law and election commissions too often
failed to enforce it."
"As a result, the international commitments to which Armenia has
freely subscribed were not always respected," he said in a statement.
Election day was generally calm and peaceful, but marked by
organizational problems and undue interference in the process, mostly
by party representatives, the observers said.
(Reporting by Margarita Antidze; Writing by Steve Gutterman, Editing
by Timothy Heritage)
From: A. Papazian
Reuters
YEREVAN | Mon May 7, 2012 6:19am EDT
YEREVAN (Reuters) - International monitors praised Armenia on Monday
for conducting a peaceful parliamentary election but criticized
violations of campaign law and interference by political parties in
the vote won by President Serzh Sarksyan's ruling party.
The mixed assessment followed a vote which Armenian leaders hoped
would be a landmark for democracy after irregularities marred the
last parliamentary election in 2007 and clashes killed 10 people
after the presidential vote in 2008.
"Armenia deserves recognition for its electoral reforms and its open
and peaceful campaign environment," said Francois-Xavier de Donnea,
head of the observer mission from the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
However, he added that "in this race, several stakeholders too often
failed to comply with the law and election commissions too often
failed to enforce it."
"As a result, the international commitments to which Armenia has
freely subscribed were not always respected," he said in a statement.
Election day was generally calm and peaceful, but marked by
organizational problems and undue interference in the process, mostly
by party representatives, the observers said.
(Reporting by Margarita Antidze; Writing by Steve Gutterman, Editing
by Timothy Heritage)
From: A. Papazian