Liana Yeghiazaryan
“Radiolur”
The CIS Observation Mission that followed the preparation and conduct of the Armenian presidential election of February 18 has concluded that the election was held in complacence with the Armenian Constitution and legislature.
“The elections were free, transparent and competitive, and corresponded to international standards,” the head of mission Sergey Lebedev said.
There is no doubt that the presidential elections in Armenia were legitimate, and the incumbent President was re-elected in a legitimate way, the mission has concluded.
The CIS observation mission included more than 200 representatives from eight CIS member states. The observers visited more than 1,000 polling stations on the voting day. The minor violations registered by the observers could not have influenced the final outcome of the vote.
The head of mission says the Electoral Code ensured the freedom of expression. There was no tension, all candidates had equal opportunities to inform the public about their programs, he added.
The most worrisome incident in the electoral process was the assassination attempt on Paruyr Hayrikyan, which, however, did not distort the electoral process. The observers have not registered any facts that could question the legitimacy of the election results.
