Observers recorded several dozen violations during the Vagharshapat Council of Elders elections

Several observation organizations have recorded various violations during the elections for the Council of Elders held in the enlarged Vagharshapat community in Armavir Province. This was reported by the “Independent Observer” Alliance, the “Tatoyan” Foundation, the “Hayakve” Observation Mission, and the International Center for Development of Parliamentarism.

According to Daniel Ioannisyan, a representative of the “Independent Observer” Alliance, their observers visited 40 polling stations and recorded three procedural violations, two disputes, three cases of organized movement of voters, and one case of deliberate open voting. Single cases of illegal presence, threat, and inaction by the commission were also registered.

According to Ioannisyan, violations were also recorded on the day of silence: advertising by the “Hanrapetutyun” (Republic) Party’s official page was not halted, and paid advertisements related to a number of other forces continued through unofficial pages.

The “Tatoyan” Foundation recorded discrepancies in the number of ballot papers, inconsistencies in the numbers of receipts and seals, as well as cases where the voting device did not recognize the identity document. It is noted that in two cases, the data concerned persons who were deceased or did not reside at the given address. Violations were also registered in the voting booths: several individuals entered the same booth to vote simultaneously.

The “Hayakve” Observation Mission recorded crowds of people, cases of open voting, and the placement of campaign materials too close to the polling stations in a number of precincts. In Geghakert, for example, the headquarters of the candidate from the “Civil Contract” Party is located about 20 meters away from the polling station. A case was also recorded where a citizen who had already voted approached another voter, insisting on “helping” them. At polling station 14/44, a case of signing on behalf of another person was recorded.

The International Center for Development of Parliamentarism reported that advertising posters for candidates were posted in the immediate vicinity of polling stations 14/10, 14/24, and 14/30, which violates the requirements of the “Electoral Code.” Citizens also alerted the police about unfamiliar persons registered at their addresses.

According to the MIA (Ministry of Internal Affairs), as of 12:00, the police had received four alerts regarding possible violations in the electoral process, which are currently being investigated.

Eight political forces are participating in the Council of Elders elections in the enlarged Vagharshapat community. 47 polling stations have been opened, and 69,866 citizens have the right to vote. Six observation organizations are monitoring the election process.