After the June 7 elections, we have entered an unprecedented reality that requires a solution. It will not be possible to forget it, not to see it. The issue of re-voting in three precincts requires a solution, because it is not only about three precincts, and it is not only about PAP. It is a much deeper problem. I will try to clarify a few questions on the eve of applying to the CC.

This is an attack on democracy

The source of power is the people, not Vahagn Hovakimyan. When issues affecting election results are resolved in such a way that voters are denied the opportunity to express their voice again, trust in the democratic system itself is at risk. The problem is not only about three polling stations or a few thousand votes. the problem is the readiness of the state to respect or ignore the will of the citizens. If voter’s voice can become secondary compared to administrative decisions, then it is already an accident of democracy.

The only legal solution to this situation is to conduct re-voting in the three polling stations as required by law

When the results of voting in three polling stations are declared invalid, the only solution of the law and democratic logic is re-voting, and not political interpretations, nor the discretion of officials, nor half-baked legal justifications, but re-voting. Each citizen’s vote should be properly reflected in the final results. It is not the citizen’s fault that the CEC is not capable of organizing normal elections. The essence of the problem is that in a democratic state, the value of citizens’ votes cannot be determined by the interpretation of the administrative body.

Which forces should be in the National Assembly should be decided exclusively by the voters and not by Vahagn Hovakimyan

The composition of the National Assembly should be formed exclusively by the results of citizens’ voting. No official has the authority to influence with his decisions which political forces will appear in the parliament and which will not. When decisions affecting the results of the elections are made without going back to the voters, it inevitably gives the impression that the will of the people is being replaced by official discretion.

And here the main question arises: does the power in Armenia belong to the people or to a group of officials who decide which votes are important and which are not?

It is unacceptable when the final result of the electoral process is determined not at the ballot box, but in the offices of officials. It is unacceptable that the will of thousands of citizens is ignored just because that will may be inconvenient for the government.

This issue does not concern only one party or one election result. It concerns the future of Armenia and democratic culture. If we accept today that the fate of citizens’ votes can be decided without them, then tomorrow this will become a pattern in any election.

Elinar Vardanyan, Member of Parliament of the Armenia Alliance

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