U.S. Election Technical Assistance & Observation Mission Concerns

While Mediamax reports that the United States has offered Armenia technical assistance for next year’s election which some in diplomatic circles believe will be held on 17 February, other concerns are being raised ahead of the vote. In the recent parliamentary election, U.S. technical assistance included the provision of computers to the Central Election Commission (CEC) and training for CEC, TEC and PEC members through IFES.

Anyway, here’s how Mediamax reported news of the offer extended to the prime minister, Serzh Sarkisian, on his visit to to the U.S. last week.

During a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan on Tuesday [23 October] in Washington, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed on behalf of the US government readiness in case of necessity to assist the Armenian authorities in the solution of technical problems while organizing the presidential elections of 2008.

Polling Station, Arabkir, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian/Oneworld Multimedia 2007

However, in related news, RFE/RL reports that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) whose ODIHR office monitors elections is already raising concerns about new restrictions on the size of such missions suggested by Russia, Belarus and four Central Asian states on their activity. As Armenia is reported to also support the initiative, the news must ring some alarm bells among opposition and pro-democracy activists.

Under proposals tabled by Russia to the OSCE’s Vienna-based governing council on September 18, the ODIHR-led election observer missions deployed in OSCE member states would comprise no more than 50 people. They would be barred from assessing the conduct of those elections before the announcement of their official results. More importantly, the Russian proposals, would enable the OSCE’s 56 member governments to influence the content of observer reports.

[…]

Although this is not the first time Armenia endorses Russian criticism of OSCE efforts at democracy building in the former Soviet Union, its latest move is somewhat unexpected given Western observers’ largely positive assessment of its May 2007 parliamentary elections. The vote was monitored by more than 200 OSCE representatives. The previous Armenian parliamentary and presidential elections were criticized by the OSCE as undemocratic.

“We observed elections in Armenia earlier this year and Armenia did not have any problems with the number of our observers and their findings,” ODIHR spokeswoman Urdur Gunnarsdottir told RFE/RL. “So we don’t see any good reason why Armenia would support such a proposal now.”

[…]

Echoing arguments made by Russian officials, a spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry said Yerevan supports the proposed restrictions on OSCE vote monitoring “in the light of ongoing reforms of the OSCE.” “Armenia is actively involved in the process of reforms and believes it is important that the organization become more representative, transparent and equal for everyone,” Vladimir Karapetian told RFE/RL.

Well, one imagines that considerable pressure will now be exerted on Armenia in public, but more significantly behind closed doors, not to follow Russia’s example which can hardly bode well for the conduct of next year’s presidential election in Armenia.

Press Conference, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan and U.S. Charge d’Affaires Anthony Godfrey, Central Election Commission (CEC), Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2007