OSCE/ODIHR to observe parliamentary elections in Armenia

ArmInfo.The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) today confirmed its decision to dispatch an observation mission to Armenia to observe the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7.

According to the OSCE/ODIHR statement, the mission was formed at the  invitation of the Armenian authorities and based on the findings of a  pre-election needs assessment mission.

The mission is led by Janez Lenarcic and consists of a core team of  13 experts based in Yerevan. Thirty long-term observers will be  deployed throughout the country from May 1, and ODIHR will also  request 250 short-term observers, to arrive several days before  election day. The core team experts and long-term observers come from  28 different OSCE participating States.  "This observation mission  will assess all stages of the electoral process against OSCE  commitments and other international obligations and standards for  democratic elections," said Lenarcic. "We will examine not only  election day, but also the broader environment in which these  elections are taking place."

The mission will closely monitor all key aspects of the elections,  such as the campaign, including on social networks, campaign finance,  the work of the election administration at national, regional and  local levels, the legal framework, institutional arrangements put in  place by the authorities to detect disinformation, media coverage,  and election dispute resolution. Observers will also assess the  implementation of previous ODIHR election recommendations.

For election day itself, delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary  Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the  European Parliament will join efforts with the ODIHR mission.  An  interim report will be published by ODIHR some two weeks prior to  election day to update the public and the media on the observation  mission's activities. The day after the elections, the mission's  initial findings and conclusions will be presented at a joint press  conference. A final report, with a comprehensive assessment and  containing recommendations to help improve the process for the  future, will be published in the months following the elections.

It is also worth noting that ODIHR has observed 12 elections in  Armenia, with the most recent being the early parliamentary elections  of 2021.