CIS GEARS UP FOR ARMENIAN VOTE MONITORING
By Karine Kalantarian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
April 5 2007
The Commonwealth of Independent States will monitor Armenia’s upcoming
parliamentary elections with a record-high number of observers,
the executive secretary of the Russian-led grouping of 12 ex-Soviet
states said on Thursday.
Unlike the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
CIS observers made positive assessments of the Armenian authorities’
handling of the previous parliamentary and parliamentary elections that
were marred by reports of serious irregularities. Their findings were
welcomed by the authorities but rejected as a fraud by the Armenian
opposition.
Visiting Yerevan, Vladimir Rushaylo, the CIS’s Russian executive
secretary, said the organization plans to deploy some 200 observers
for the May 12 elections, far more than it did in the past. "We have
not yet determined the total number of short-term observers who
will be working on voting day, but I think there will be at least
150 of them," he told reporters after a meeting with the chairman of
Armenia’s Central Election Commission. The CIS mission will for the
first time have about 30 long-term observers, he said.
In addition, Russia revealed earlier this week its intention to fully
use its 10 percent participation quota in a 330-strong observer mission
planned by the OSCE for the Armenian elections. Moscow has criticized
the OSCE for questioning the legitimacy of elections held in Armenia
and other ex-Soviet republics with pro-Russian governments.
Rushaylo dismissed Armenian opposition claims that the main purpose
of CIS election monitoring is to legitimize ex-Soviet leaders’
grip on power. "We assure you that we do not draft our [election]
statements beforehand, as speculated by some," said the former Russian
interior minister.
Preparations for the parliamentary elections reportedly dominated
Rushaylo’s separate meetings later in the day with President Robert
Kocharian and Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian. According to Sarkisian’s
office, Rushaylo thanked the Armenian government for its "constructive
cooperation" with CIS observers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
