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  • "How Invalid Votes Can Become Valid"

    "HOW INVALID VOTES CAN BECOME VALID"

    http://hetq.am/eng/news/24311/how-invalid-votes-can-become-valid.html
    15:32, March 11, 2013

    2013 Armenian presidential election observer of OSCE and former
    Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ireland Dermot Ahern's
    letter to Armenian Bar Association Chairman Garo Ghazarian regarding
    the fraud he witnessed during the February 18 election, particularly
    in Precinct 26/1, in which a landslide for Raffi Hovannisian was
    converted into a victory for the incumbent.

    Dear Garo Ghazarian, Chairman of the Armenian Bar Association

    March 5, 2013

    You might remember that we spoke at length on the plane from Yerevan
    to Paris, just after the presidential election. I indicated to you
    that I felt uneasy about what happened in the polling station and in
    the TEC that I observed on the day of the election.

    To recap, I and my German colleague Hedda Haars observed six polling
    stations during the day and as instructed by the OSCE core team,
    we finished observing the election in PEC 26/1 Yeghvard Elementary
    School No 3. From what we saw, from 7 PM to the close at 8 PM,
    everything was done correctly.

    The presiding officer and team proceeded to count the votes. Again,
    everything was done in accordance with the instructions. The presiding
    officer showed to everyone, including ourselves, our interpreter,
    our driver as well as a proxy on behalf of the incumbent, every vote
    once he had taken it from the envelope.

    Immediately, it transpired that Raffi was hovering up the votes. This
    caused some surprise with the local participants. Indeed, it became
    somewhat embarrassing in that virtually every vote was for Raffi.

    Every odd time, a vote came out for the incumbent, there was a slight
    laugh from some of the locals. On and on, it continued with Raffi
    getting virtually all of the votes. The proxy for the incumbent was
    tallying in a very methodical way and I could see clearly from his
    tally that Raffi was way ahead. In fact, he actually ran out of paper,
    Raffi got so many votes over the incumbent. At about 9:15 PM. I sent a
    text to my principal to say that with 30 percent of the votes counted
    Raffi was at least 3 to 1 ahead.

    During this time and up until when we left, a number of invalid votes
    were declared. For instance, one vote was declared invalid because the
    voter had voted for everyone, except the incumbent. Another vote was
    invalid because the voter voted for somebody who previously contested
    an election, but not this one. A number of other votes were declared
    invalid because they did not have the correct mark or indeed no mark
    at all. I estimated that there were more than 10 during our time
    there between 8 PM and 10 PM when we left for the TEC.

    By the time we left, we both agreed that with approximately 35% of
    the vote counted, Raffi was ahead by at least 3 to 1. We proceeded to
    the TEC 26 in Yeghvard and introduced ourselves to the TEC team. The
    conditions of the location for tabulation at this location were far
    from ideal. It consisted of two rooms separated by a corridor which
    meant that I stayed in the room where the chair and deputy chair met
    with the PEC teams as they came in with their results. My colleague
    Hedda stayed in the other room where a secretary entered the results
    from the various protocols.

    I was given very little cooperation by the TEC team in that they did
    not offer any information to me as to the PEC teams coming in with
    their protocols. The lack of space made it particularly difficult
    for me to see anything. I had to ask for information, any time I
    wanted it. My interpreter and driver indicated to me that the team
    were somewhat uneasy about our presence.

    When the results came in from number 26/1, I particularly was
    interested and asked for the result. This wasn't forthcoming, but my
    interpreter got to see the protocol and indicated that the incumbent
    had beaten Raffi by 382 to 302 approximately. I was astonished by
    this apparent turnaround since we left the count. I tried to get more
    information, to no avail.

    However, my interpreter then told me that he noticed on the protocol
    that there were zero invalid votes. I was completely taken aback
    by this, and I asked my interpreter to let the chair know about
    my astonishment.

    Between then and when we finally finished the tabulation observation at
    approximately 3:30 AM, I was given little or no cooperation. I finally
    asked if I could see the final written result and the chair refused. I
    met up with my colleague Hedda who had expressed satisfaction with
    what she had seen in the other room, in that the results were properly
    put onto the computer. I suggested that she might ask the chairman
    herself for a copy of the protocol. But again he declined waving his
    hands in the air. We asked if they would be publishing the result
    and his reply was in the morning. We immediately left. We filled out
    the necessary form for the OSCE, having kept in constant contact with
    them during the night.

    I've been practicing politician here in Ireland for 32 years,
    contesting and winning every election I personally fought in. I was
    director of elections board at national and local level for my party.

    I have never witnessed anything like this. From my experience, I
    know a trend, when I see one, and something very strange happened to
    overturn the result, after we left the count in PEC 26/1.

    As I stated to you, I feel that full re-examination of this count
    should take place. I could not understand then and still now how
    invalid votes can become valid.

    If you require any further information please do not hesitate to
    contact me.

    Dermot Ahern

    2013 presidential election observer of OSCE in Armenia, former Minister
    of Foreign Affairs and former Minister of Justice and Law Reform of
    the Republic of Ireland.

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