EUROPEAN MPS CONCERNED ABOUT ARMENIAN ‘VOTER APATHY’
By Ruzanna Khachatrian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
April 13 2007
Visiting parliamentarians from the Council of Europe expressed concern
at what they see as a widespread voter apathy reigning in the run-up
to Armenia’s parliamentary elections as they ended a three-day visit
to Yerevan on Friday.
Preparations for the May 12 vote dominated their meetings with
President Robert Kocharian, other senior government officials and
leaders of the country’s main political groups involved in the election
campaign. The four members of the Council of Europe Parliamentary
(PACE) reaffirmed the significance of its proper conduct for Yerevan’s
membership in the Strasbourg-based organization and broader efforts
at European integration.
"The [PACE] Delegation was heartened by the assurances of the Armenian
authorities, and all political stakeholders it met, that it is their
intention to hold elections that fully meet Council of Europe stands
for democratic elections," they said in a statement released to
local journalists.
The delegation headed by Dutch lawmaker Leo Platvoet was at the
same time worried about continuing inaccuracies in voter lists and
the Armenian authorities’ earlier refusal to introduce the inking of
voters’ fingers, which was advocated by Council of Europe experts and
Armenian opposition politicians. The proposed measure was supposed
to prevent multiple voting for pro-government parties and individual
candidates, a practice that was reportedly commonplaces in the previous
Armenian elections.
"The delegation was concerned over its overall impression of a lack
of popular interest in the election process by the electorate," read
the PACE statement. "Such attitudes of apathy, or even cynicism,
are not conducive to the development of democracy in Armenia."
The last parliamentary elections held in May 2003 were characterized
by a record-low voter turnout. The authorities put it at just over
50 percent, a figure opposition leaders rejected as grossly inflated.
Many Armenians clearly continue feel that election results are
predetermined by the authorities and that their votes would therefore
not make a difference.
The PACE members suggested another explanation for the perceived
apathy: "The delegation was not able, with few notable exceptions,
to discern marked differences between the political platforms of
the contenders. It was left with the impression that the upcoming
elections are regarded by many as a struggle between political elites
and not between concepts and ideas."
The European lawmakers went on to deplore the "exorbitant costs"
of campaign advertisements that have been set by Armenia’s leading
television stations loyal to President Robert Kocharian. They also
strongly condemned Thursday’s explosions outside two Yerevan offices
of the pro-Kocharian Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK).
The PACE urged Armenia to break with its troubled electoral past and
to ensure the freedom and fairness of the upcoming elections, in a
resolution adopted last January. The authorities in Yerevan say they
are doing their best to achieve that goal. They argue, in particular,
that most of the recently enacted amendments to the Armenian Electoral
Code are based on Council of Europe recommendations.
A group of PACE members are expected to monitor the elections
along with about 350 observers to be deployed by the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Parliament speaker Tigran
Torosian said on Friday that all but one parties represented in the
outgoing National Assembly have agreed to form an ad hoc working
committee that will promptly examine and address observer concerns
in the weeks leading up to the contest.