CEC Head: Any use of administrative resources must be avoided during  upcoming parliamentary elections

ArmInfo. Any use of administrative resources must be avoided during the upcoming parliamentary elections. This was stated by Commission Chairman  Vahagn Hovakimyan on April 15 during the presentation of the Central Electoral Commission's report on its activities for 2024-2025 to the  National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.

He stated that to address this issue, a guidebook was developed  jointly with the RA Ministry of Justice and distributed to all  government agencies. Four local government elections were held in  2024-2025, one of which was held under the majoritarian system and  three under the proportional system. The results of these elections  were not appealed. On April 10, 2025, the Central Election Commission  approved its Strategic Development Plan for 2025-2028. The document  outlines the commission's development strategy. 

According to the document, the CEC's mission is to ensure the  exercise of people's power through free, fair, transparent,  competitive elections and referendums that meet international  standards. Beginning in 2025, the commission's efforts will be  focused on the effective organization of electoral processes,  increasing transparency and accountability, technological  development, improving voter education and awareness, and developing  the capacity of election commissions.

According to the commission's chairman, given global trends related  to the electoral system, it is clear that district election  commissions should have regional headquarters with separate premises  and equipped with modern technology. "We plan to have headquarters in  10 regions. We have received positive feedback from international  partners, and the process of establishing them will be initiated  after the National Assembly elections," emphasized Vahagn Hovakimyan.   He added that since 2024, the digital system used by the Central  Election Commission has been continuously refined and improved.   Almost the entire commission process has been completely digitized,  with the exception of the voting process itself, which will remain  paper-based. 

The digital system will also be used during the preparation and  conduct of the upcoming parliamentary elections.  Moreover, all  polling stations with 300 or more voters will be provided with a live  broadcast of the voting process and the tabulation of results.   Hovakimyan also emphasized the importance of training those involved  in the electoral process: members of local and regional commissions,  media representatives, observers, and authorized representatives.