ArmInfo. The US Embassy in Armenia assessed the elections to the Local Self-Government Bodies (LSG) in the RA.
Thus, the statement of the U.S. Embassy, in particular, reads: "We commend the Armenian people for their participation in municipal elections on October 17, November 14, and December 5, as well as their continued commitment to Armenia's democratic trajectory. A small number of Embassy staff observed the elections in a visitor capacity. We were pleased to see the elections were generally calm, peaceful, and well-administered. The diversity in results underscored the competitive nature of the elections, the vibrancy of Armenia's democracy, and the significant progress Armenia has achieved over the years. We also note reports of pressure against opposition candidates and encourage authorities to investigate credible allegations of abuse. As we work to perfect our own democracy, we welcome Armenia's commitment to its democratic reform agenda and look forward to strengthening our bilateral ties based on shared democratic values."
To note, on October 17, November 14 and December 5, elections to the local self-government bodies were held in Armenia. During the elections, either opposition candidates or non-partisans won in a number of communities, including the second and third largest cities of the Republic of Armenia, Gyumri and Vanadzor. It is noteworthy that during the December 5 elections, residents of two communities - Semenovka and Tsovagyugh, boycotted the elections, thus expressing their dissatisfaction with the next enlargement of communities. The majority of community residents oppose the consolidation initiated by the current government, assuring that this will lead to a new outflow of the population from the villages.
It is noteworthy that the Armenian authorities pulled together large police forces to the polling stations during the voting. The opposition called these actions an attempt to intimidate citizens. It is also worth noting that several opposition candidates who won the elections are imprisoned, including re-elected head of the Goris community Arush Arushanyan.