At Least Nobody Died: Widespread abuse in Yerevan local elections as Gyumri mayoral contest approaches

By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

3 October, 2008

Ballot box stuffing was ‘transparent’ and ‘free’ at the latest community election in Yerevan on September 28, according to leading vote-monitoring agency It’s Your Choice.

Chairman of the organization Harutyun Hambardzumyan says: “All the arsenal of election frauds was used at this election, but the stuffing cases in Kentron community were much more than in Arabkir and other communities on September 7th election.”

Election on the last Sunday of September was held in Nor Nork, Nork-Marash, Avan, Davitashen and Shengavit communities, but the hottest rivalry was in Kentron, where the incumbent head of the community, the authorities’ favorite Gagik Beglaryan was taken on by the community’s former head, chairman of the Armenian All-National Movement board Ararat Zurabyan.

In that race, both sides were caught ballot stuffing.

[…]

http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=3288&CID=3166&IID=1203&lng=eng

It’s for this reason that I’d much rather see a non-politicized civil society and mass media, for example, and representative National Assembly than concentrate on what most Armenians actually do — who will actually be “King.” It’s one of the main reasons why I think we need a concrete policy of civic education in Armenia because we don’t have an understanding of “democracy” or “civic participation.”

Instead, Armenians hope that just one individual will solve all their problems without understanding that they never will. On a brighter note, I have been encouraged by small groups which are emerging to tackle such a mentality, but they are so far small in number. Still, they didn’t exist at until now so let’s hope the situation gets better in this regard.

Yes, I know, it’s a Catch-22 situation after a cynical approach to elections from 1995 onwards under successive presidents, but I also believe that a generational change in mentality is required as well.

Firstly -the lack of confidence in the conduct of elections. The outcome is decided regardless of what the voters want. However, I also think that people don’t realize the importance of local or even parliamentary elections.

In such a top-down system such as Armenia, perhaps this is understandable. Even parliamentary elections take back seat to the only vote that does matter. Yes, you guessed it — Presidential Elections.

Nobody seems to be interested in anything else although it’s true, the system is designed so that whoever is in charge does indeed control everything. But, it has to be said, it is as if Armenians would rather have the equivalent of a king than anything else.

I’ve heard this too many times that it worries me. Instead of considering themselves part of the state, they invest all trust in just one person whoever that might be.

“Personalities rather than Institutions” is how a former NDI head to Azerbaijan describes the current state of democracy in the South Caucasus. Ironically, this also concerns how civil society, the mass media and international organizations view it too.

What I suppose would be interesting is to compare voter turnout in previous local elections to see whether it has always been like this or is now markedly different. Trying to find the figures now, but am just recovering from a cold so bear with me.

Of course, having a high voter turnout is also not particularly encouraging. For example, abnormally high turnout has also been indicative of a higher level of electoral fraud in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

There is also the experience of the 2005 Constitutional Referendum when voter turnout was put at 65 percent, as I recall. However, empty polling stations and idle precinct commissions relaxing in back rooms was what most of us saw across the country.

The organizations says that violations were widespread, but stops short of saying they were enough to influence the outcome.

Instead, IYC raises concerns with the anticipated low turnout by voters.

OBSERVERS REGISTERED VIOLATIONS

A1 Plus, 30 September, 2008

Although we had condemned the violent measures taken to solve electoral debates and called on the candidates to secure the legality of elections and maintain tolerance, there were illegalities and some violence during the recent local government elections. This was the concluding remark made by the “Choice is Yours” NGO observatory mission in the aftermath of the September 28 local government elections in Kentron, Nor Nork, Nork Marash, Avan, Davtashen and Shengavit districts.

“The observers noticed violations especially in the Kentron district. There was a lot of electoral fraud and the intervention of reputable district residents. The observers registered low voter turnout and that gets us to thinking that both candidates were not well-known among citizens,” said “The Choice is Yours” NGO president Harutyun Hambartsumian.

In fact, Harutyunyan listed the violations that he had noticed, such as electoral fraud, influence on voters, limits on observers’ rights and disorder in the polls. For example, an open vote took place in the Nork Marash 10/03 poll. As a result of one of the fillings of ballots by Kentron district community head candidate Gagik Beglaryan’s supporters in the 10/03 poll of the Kentron district, a debate began between the proxies and the local government elections committee members and then turned into a fight.

In any case, could the electoral fraud and fillings have an influence on the outcome? In response to that, Harutyun Hambartsumyan said: “There is a huge difference in votes and I wouldn’t say that the number of mistakes could have an influence on the elections as a whole. We have registered all of the polls where ballot fillings have taken place and any interested candidate and his proxies can appeal to the court to find out just how many fillings there were.”

http://www.a1plus.am/en/?page=issue&iid=64583

OPPOSITION CRIES FOUL AFTER ANOTHER ELECTION LOSS

Gagik Beglarian, the incumbent pro-government mayor of Yerevan’s central administrative district, was declared on Monday the winner of a weekend local election which the Armenian opposition hoped to use for kick-starting its anti-government campaign.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) said Beglarian won over 70 percent of votes cast in the Kentron district on Sunday. His opposition challenger, Ararat Zurabian, got less than 26 percent, according to the official vote results that also showed a voter turnout of just 34.7 percent.

Zurabian, who is a senior member of the main opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK), refused to concede defeat, rejecting the official vote results as fraudulent. His campaign claimed to have observed more than 50 instances of serious irregularities as voting drew to a close on Sunday evening. Campaign officials said on Monday that they are preparing to present evidence of the alleged fraud to prosecutors.

The allegations were echoed by Hovsep Khurshudian, a CEC member affiliated with the opposition Zharangutyun party. Khurshudian said he witnessed about 50 government loyalists burst into a polling station in Kentron and stuff ballots there. Precinct commission officials did not try to stop them, while police officers arrived only after the men left the scene, he said.

“The absence of police officers during the incident gives me reason to say that it was done with the authorities’ connivance,” Khurshudian told RFE/RL.

http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2008/09/10EE4B09-5FEA-4C37-9327-2F59B9F79812.ASP

In other news… one of the biggest thugs in Armenia, Hovik Abrahamian, is now Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly (not very promising, to say the least) and speculation continues that Kocharian might be seeking to replace Tigran Sargisyan as prime minister.

Worth pointing out that the current prime minister seems to be considered quite positively by the population as well as the international community. However, the test of whether Sargsyan’s albeit small reforms are genuine will be in whether not only wil they continue, but also in terms of retaining his position for much longer than a year.

Please, not another Putin / Medvedev scenario in Armenia…

LOCAL ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA SHOW THAT LOCAL DEMOCRACY NEEDS FURTHER TANGIBLE CONSOLIDATION

Congress delegation, headed by Ms Véronique Moreira (France, NR), arrived in Yerevan on Wednesday last and conducted a number of key meetings with representatives of institutional bodies, political parties, NGOs and media.

Subsequently, observers deployed to all electoral districts in Yerevan and visited some 100 polling stations.

Council of Europe observers, at yesterday’s local elections in Yerevan, are worried that lack of transparency, and tensions at a number of locations overshadow the continuing development of local democracy in Armenia.

On the one hand, observers noted that low participation in areas where there was an election for the Community Council underscores low interest among voters in local government affairs.

On the other hand, in areas where there was a perceived high political stake, irregularities, frequently reported tensions in polling stations and disproportionately high turn-out in some instances give the impression that political democratic culture in Armenia need further buttressing.

Amidst reports conveyed to them of transporting voters from a locality to another and of bribery, they themselves observed a lack of transparency in both voting and counting procedures.

During the Autumn Session of Congress (December 2008) Mr Paolo Rondelli (San Marino, SOC), Rapporteur, will present all the findings of the mission.

The Congress encourages the Armenian authorities to take advantage of its recommendations, particularly with a view to the tangible consolidation of local democracy in the country.

http://www.echannel.am/?topic_id=2164

DISTRICT HEADS REELECTED

A1 Plus, 29 September, 2008

On Sunday, September 28, local elections were held in the districts of Kentron and Nor Nork. According to the Central Election Commission, the incumbent Republican candidate Gagik Beglarian was reelected in Kentron gaining 22369 votes.

His contender Ararat Zurabian, Head of the board of the Pan-Armenian National Movement, got 8085 votes. 1117 ballot papers were found invalid. The turnout was 31691.

The turnout in the district of Nor Nork was 29,395. 16,913 voted for the incumbent candidate Davit Petrossian and 10,982 for his Republican rival Melik Gasparian.

http://www.a1plus.am/en/?page=issue&iid=64498

COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONGRESS TO OBSERVE LOCAL ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA

A1 Plus, 23 September 2008

A delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will pay a visit to Armenia, from 25 to 29 September, to observe the local elections for the renewal of the municipal Councils, which will be held on 28 September. The Congress delegation will be headed by Véronique Moreira, Regional Councillor of Rhône Alpes (NR, France, R).

Prior to election day, the delegation will meet with the Human Rights Ombudsman, Armen Harutyunyan, the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia, Garegin Azaryan, the Armenian delegation to the Congress, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Territorial Administration, Armen Gevorgyan, the Mayor of Yerevan, Yervand Zakharyan, the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, the representatives of the 5 political parties in the Parliament, the candidates to the election, as well as some representatives of the media and of NGOs.

On 28 September the delegation will be deployed in different polling stations to observe the voting.

Members of the delegation:

Joe Conway, Councillor, Tramore Town Council (ILDG, Ireland, L)

Mihkel Juhkami, Chair, Rakvere City Council (EPP/CD, Estonia, L)

Dobrica Milovanovic, Mayor of the Assembly of the Municipality of Kragujevac (NR, Serbia, R)

Paolo Rondelli, Municipal councillor of San Marino (SOC, San Marino, L)

Dominique Ronga, delegated to the interregional relations and the decentralised co-operation,

Vice-President of the Regional Council of Lorraine (SOC, France, R)

Uldis Rozenbergs, Chairman, Gibulu Rural Municipality Council (EPP/CD, Latvia, L)

Congress Secretariat:

Antonella Cagnolati, Director of the Congress

Michel Rivollier, Project manager

Gönül Koçak, Congress Secretariat

http://www.a1plus.am/en/?page=issue&iid=64302