Constitutional referendum in Armenia: general compliance marred by incidents of serious abuse
The Council of Europe observers to the Constitutional Referendum held on 27 November 2005 in Armenia regret the decision taken by the authorities which precluded the attendance of any other international observers. The transparency of the referendum was further hampered by the decision of the parliamentary opposition to call on their members to withdraw from the electoral commissions. It is also regrettable that political pluralism inside polling stations was not better assisted by a greater number of domestic observers.
COE, Yerevan, 28/11/2005
The 14-member delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly and the
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities noted that the Referendum
generally reflected the free will of those who voted. However, on
voting day the observers witnessed serious abuse in several polling
stations which cast a shadow over the credibility of the officially
announced turn-out.
On 25 and 26 November the delegation had meetings with the
authorities, opposition members, NGOs, media representatives and the
international community. The observers’ impression was that during the
campaign leading to the Referendum there was not equal access to the
media. This was to the disadvantage of the opposition to the
constitutional changes and hampered genuine democratic debate.
The Council of Europe observers visited around 150 polling stations
in the capital and across the country on voting day. The general
atmosphere was calm and no incidents of public disorder were witnessed.
In the majority of the polling stations visited the conduct of the poll
was in compliance with international standards.
However, in a significant number of polling stations in Yerevan and
other regions this was not so. The extremely low voting activity did
not correspond to the high figures provided by the electoral
commissions. There were also clear instances of forged additional
signatures on the voters register and of ballot stuffing. The electoral
regulations, requiring the stamping of the ballot after completion,
created numerous situations where the secrecy of the vote was not
respected. Military voting appeared to lack the voluntarism which is
the hallmark of democratic participation.
In conclusion, the delegation considers that the abuses that marred
the referendum were against the intent and interest of the Armenian
people. It expects that the Central Electoral Commission investigate
thoroughly all the allegations brought to its attention and that all
the necessary measures will be taken against those responsible for
fraud.
The delegation, co-headed by Tomas Jirsa (Czech Republic, EDG,
Parliamentary Assembly) and Sean O'Brien (Ireland, SOC, Congress),
included:
Parliamentary Assembly
Tomas Jirsa (Czech Republic, EDG)
Lord Tomlinson (United Kingdom, SOC)
Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD)
Jan Rzymelka (Poland, EPP/CD)
Klaus-Jürgen Hedrich (Germany, EPP/CD)
Gabor Szalay (Hungary, ALDE)
Nigel Evans (United Kingdom, EDG)
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Sean O’Brien (Ireland, SOC)
Alain Chénard (France, Former President of the Congress)
Luca Ciriani (Italy, ILDG)
Gretta Cousins (United Kingdom, EPP/CD)
Christopher Newburry (United Kingdom, EPP/CD)
Marja Van Der Tas (Netherlands, EPP/CD)
Wim Van Gelder (Netherlands, EPP/CD)
Links:
press.coe.int/cp/2005/651a(2005).htm
