"Fair Vote": Unlawful campaigning tops pre-election violations

ArmInfo.During the campaign ahead of the parliamentary elections in Armenia, the "Fair Vote" (Ardar Qve) observation mission has  recorded 382 violations,  as stated by the mission director, Sonya Hambardzumyan, during a press conference on June 5, citing the organization's interim report.  

According to Hambardzumyan, the largest share of identified violations involved unlawful campaigning, accounting for 36.4% of the  total recorded cases. The misuse of administrative resources ranked second at 28%. This is followed by hate speech and incitement of  hostility during the campaign period at 12%, instances of vote-buying at 6.5%, and pressure exerted by state authorities and local  government bodies at 4.7%.

Hambartzumyan noted that since May 14, the mission has recorded 139  cases of illegal campaigning. These include, in particular, the  placement of campaign materials in unauthorized or prohibited  locations, the damage of campaign materials, an insufficient number  of designated billboards for the placement of campaign materials, and  the use of administrative resources to facilitate illegal  campaigning.

Discussing instances of abuse of official authority and the misuse of  state and administrative resources, Hambardzumyan pointed out cases  where campaign-related materials were published on the official web  pages of state institutions. Additionally, campaign materials were  distributed by municipal service employees, campaign events and  meetings were conducted with the participation of public officials,  and representatives from educational and cultural institutions were  unlawfully involved in the election campaign. The head of the mission  also pointed to the numerous instances of hate speech during the  election campaign. According to her, political forces competed with  each other not on the programmatic provisions they pledged to  implement if elected, but on hostile rhetoric. Among the most  high-profile incidents, she highlighted the case involving the  "Strong Armenia" party in Masis, where a conflict resulted in  injuries to young people.

Hambartzumyan also reported numerous reports from education workers.  According to her, many teachers reported an atmosphere of fear and  pressure being exerted on them. In particular, educators were urged  to refrain from expressing their opinions,  to abstain from  participating in political processes even outside of working hours,  or to assist the ruling political party.