Yerevan, 28.11.2005 – 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.
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) Contacts: - Communication Unit of the Parliamentary Assembly, tel. +33 (0)3 88 41 31 93 - Communication Unit of the Congress, tel. +33 (0)3 88 41 31 05
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