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Elections Fraught with Allegations of Corruption
20:48, May 5, 2013
By Greg Bilazarian
With polls now closed in Yerevan, today's mayoral election has been
marred by extensive reports from local and Diasporan observers of
intense cheating, interference and corruption. The mayoral election,
which many had hoped would be a progressive step forward from
February's presidential election, has been described by some observers
as a step backward with one calling it `the worst election of the past
few years'.
Just minutes before polls closed, the observer website
http://armdex.com/elections2013/map/ had reported more than 250
election related complaints, with the largest concentration of reports
coming in the Sebastia-Malatia district of Yerevan.
Allegations of wrongdoing include -
Party proxies interfering with the election process, sometimes
pretending to represent their opponent's political party while
engaging in illicit activity
Large crowds gathering around precincts
Political parties busing crowds from one polling place to another
either allowing people to vote twice or to otherwise interfere in the
process
More than 100 Diasporan observers joined another trained 160 election
observers from civil society organizations, including Transparency
International, and spread out all over Yerevan to monitor the election
process. In Armenia, election observers have the right to observe the
actual counting process. Despite the polls already closing at 8pm
Yerevan time, observers are continuing to work well into the night.
More than 800-thousand Yerevan residents were registered to vote, no
word yet on voter turnout or when we can expect to learn the results.
http://hetq.am/eng/news/26239/elections-fraught-with-allegations-of-corruption.html
20:48, May 5, 2013
By Greg Bilazarian
With polls now closed in Yerevan, today's mayoral election has been
marred by extensive reports from local and Diasporan observers of
intense cheating, interference and corruption. The mayoral election,
which many had hoped would be a progressive step forward from
February's presidential election, has been described by some observers
as a step backward with one calling it `the worst election of the past
few years'.
Just minutes before polls closed, the observer website
http://armdex.com/elections2013/map/ had reported more than 250
election related complaints, with the largest concentration of reports
coming in the Sebastia-Malatia district of Yerevan.
Allegations of wrongdoing include -
Party proxies interfering with the election process, sometimes
pretending to represent their opponent's political party while
engaging in illicit activity
Large crowds gathering around precincts
Political parties busing crowds from one polling place to another
either allowing people to vote twice or to otherwise interfere in the
process
More than 100 Diasporan observers joined another trained 160 election
observers from civil society organizations, including Transparency
International, and spread out all over Yerevan to monitor the election
process. In Armenia, election observers have the right to observe the
actual counting process. Despite the polls already closing at 8pm
Yerevan time, observers are continuing to work well into the night.
More than 800-thousand Yerevan residents were registered to vote, no
word yet on voter turnout or when we can expect to learn the results.
http://hetq.am/eng/news/26239/elections-fraught-with-allegations-of-corruption.html