Joint Statement By Eu High Representative Catherine Ashton And Commi

JOINT STATEMENT BY EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE CATHERINE ASHTON AND COMMISSIONER TEFAN FULE ON ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA

EU News
Feb 20 2013

Reference: MEMO/13/125 Event Date: 20/02/2013

Joint Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and
Commissioner Å tefan Fule on elections in Armenia

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy and Å tefan Fule, EU Commissioner for Enlargement
and European Neighbourhood Policy, made today the following statement:

“We have taken note of the preliminary results of the presidential
elections held in Armenia on 18 February, and welcome the statement
of preliminary findings and conclusions of the International Election
Observation Mission on the conduct of elections.

We welcome further progress made by the Armenian authorities in their
efforts to hold these presidential elections in line with international
standards, notably through improved administration of the electoral
process, ensuring possibilities for candidates to campaign freely
and better quality of the voter lists.

At the same time, we expect a number of outstanding concerns to be
followed up appropriately in the future, including reported instances
of partiality by public servants, claims of misuse of administrative
resources, unclear interpretation of campaign financing provisions and
cases of pressure on voters. We also encourage the Armenian authorities
to undertake an inclusive and transparent process of amendments
to the election-related legislation, in line with the OSCE/ODIHR’s
recommendations following the parliamentary elections of May 2012.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress