We are not giving bribe, we are giving toilet paper
06:44 PM | TODAY | POLITICS
Civilnet has recorded a bus distributing electoral bribe outside a
building in Yerevan’s Avan district. One of the passengers of the
weird bus parked in Tumanyan street had a list in her hand.
To the inquiry of a journalist, the passengers said they were
enrolling people for giving them toilet paper.
Hovsep Khurshudyan: `The registered violations were in favor of Serzh Sargsyan’
Mon, 02/18/2013 – 16:20
News
`From the very first moment of the voting, the calls about the
violations started, differing from bribery to the drifting at the
election polls’ during the meeting with the journalists said the
press-secretary of `Heritage’ party Hovsep Khurshudyan, adding that
the violations were in favor of Serzh Sargsyan but no cases of
violence were registered.
According to Hovsep Khurshudyan the drifting at the election polls are
widespread and cause irritation. In one list of the voters hundreds of
voters are registered.
`Heritage’ party will apply to CEC for the publication of additional lists.
Ballot stuffing is present at villages, and election bribery is
widespread, the heads of the villages make the people participate in
open and obligatory elections, because the elections bribes are
already disseminated.
According to Hovsep Khurshudyan in the Katnarat village of Lori Marz
5000 AMD is given for voting in favor of Serzh Sargsyan, and in Tavush
Marz the cases of ballot stuffing was registered. In Shirak Marz the
head of the village disseminated 5000 AMD election bribe. In Sari-Tagh
2 citizens appeared for elections, but it came out that someone
already voted for them. From the `3-rd mas’ a citizen called informing
that some Ashot Arevshatyan is disseminating election bribes. In the
Chochkan village of Lori Marz the head of the village is present at
the election poll and forces open elections.
Author:
Factinfo
Decision 2013: Police warn against erasing electoral ink stamps in passports
Vote 2013 | 18.02.13 | 16:03
The Armenian police have issued a statement calling on voters to
refrain from using various means to erase ink stamps in the passports
(which prove their participation in the vote) and warn it could be
considered as a violation of the electoral law.
`The Armenian Police are calling on citizens not to erase, damage or
deface a stamp in the passports, proving the participation in the
vote, using technical and other means. A lot of video materials have
appeared on the Internet, showing how to erase the stamp ink, put by
the electoral commission representatives, by using various chemicals,
such as hydrogen peroxide, wet towel wipes or other means. Without
referring to the 21st century scientific achievements, including the
chemistry of various dyes and bleach means, the Armenian police warn
that all materials in the internet related to the issue can be
qualified as a violation of the electoral rights, obstacles to the
electoral commission’s work, the preparation or an attempt to vote
more than once and warn to refrain from it.’
The media experiments on ink disappearing in the passports have been
appearing on online social networking sites, in particular on Facebook
from the morning; the photos and video are shared both by ordinary
users and by media organizations. Presidential candidate Raffi
Hovanissian also shared a video on disappearing ink on his Facebook
account.
Eduard Sharmazanov, a deputy speaker of the ruling Republican Party,
insisted, however, that the ink stamp in his passport was not
erasable.
`I went to the polls, and the stamp in my passport cannot be erased
with napkins or other means,’ said Sharmazanov.
Instead Sharmazanov urges citizens to personally check their own
passports. `I would ask Raffi Hovannisian, instead of making
groundless claims, to use the opportunity provided by our
headquarter,’ said Sharmazanov, reminding that the headquarters of
the incumbent have ceded the right to their proxies to two opposition
challengers, including Hovannisian and Hrant Bagratyan. According to
him, the candidates ought to have taken this opportunity and then
there would not be talk about repeated voting.
The ink, which has in fact proved easily erasable with the aid of a
simple wet tissue, was publicly tested by the Central Election
Commission (CEC) last week.
Ink stamps (which should vanish within 12 hours after the ballot), the
idea of which is to prevent multiple voting, were first used in the
2012 May Parliamentary elections. But then many voters complained that
ink was vanishing very fast, which sparked opposition allegations
about electoral fraud. The CEC, however, has insisted that ink stamps
are only an additional safeguard against fraud and irregularities with
them cannot be proof of electoral fraud.
Sit-in In Front Of NAS And Protest In Front Of CEC
17:15 18/02/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:
Several citizens of Armenia have stated that the election does not
express the will of the Armenian people. Today’s election is fake. So,
the group is holding a sitin in front of the National Academy of
Sciences today and calls everyone to join them on February 19 to hold
a protest in front of the Central Electoral Commission
to highlight the issue of the rigged elections.
EU looks forward to 2013 elections in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
NEWS.AM
February 18, 2013 | 17:10
EU Foreign Affairs Council looks forward to the elections in 2013 in
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and underlines the importance of them
being held in line with international standards and previous relevant
recommendations by OSCE/ODIHR.
After the Monday meeting, Council issued Conclusions on Eastern
Partnership recalling that at the heart of the project lies `a shared
commitment to international law and fundamental values, including
democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms, as well as to market economy, sustainable development and
good governance.’
`Looking forward to the Vilnius Summit, it [the Council] emphasizes
that the pace of reforms will determine the intensity of cooperation
and partners most engaged in reforms will benefit most from their
relationship with the EU,’ the statement reads.
Prosperous Armenia MP poses incumbent president’s proxy at polling station
16:33 – 18.02.13
Karo Karapetyan, a member of the Prosperous Armenia parliamentary
group, was present at polling station #11/17 in Artashat, without any
specific status.
His presence was video recorded by Azatutyun Radio.
On seeing the journalist, the MP immediately left the premises, crying
out `Stop recording!’
Although the secretary of the election commission assured the
journalist that Karo Karapetyan was not on the list of proxies,
Chairman of the election commission Ruben Avetisyan told the
journalist that Mr Karapetyan was standing proxy for incumbent
President Serzh Sargsyan, who is running for his second term.
In response to a remark that Mr Karapetyan is not on the proxies list,
Mr Avetisyan said with surprise, `is he not?’ Then he said that Mr
Karapetyan was not in the premises `at the moment.’ The journalist
told him that Mr Karapetyan had been there for a long time. `For a
long time?’ was Mr Avetisyan’s reply.
Two votes in favor of Serzh Sargsyan cost a bag of flour in village of Norashen
ARMINFO
Monday, February 18, 14:49
Two votes in favor of Serzh Sargsyan cost a bag of flour at the
polling station 32/18 in the village of Norashen, Lori region, voters
alarmed contacting ArmInfo’s editorial. The voters alarmed that the
Village Administratiion representatives have been offering a bag of
flour in exchange for two votes in favor of the incumbent president
Serzh Sargsyan for already several days.
“The flour is in the storage and will be distributed after the
election on February 19 and 20,” the voters say.
Earlier today, Spokesperson of Heritage Party Hovsep Khurshudyan
reported that Mariam Palutsyan, a member of the Election Commission
from Heritage Party has observed ballot stuffing at the polling
station 32/5 in Tashir. However, the chair of the Commission refuses
to register the fraud, arguing that they did not saw anything.
As of afternoon iditord.org website registered 137 alarms of voter
fraud in the course of the presidential election in Armenia. Most of
the cases were observed in Yerevan (84), and least in Vayots Dzor
region (1).
Thus, 12 alarms of inaccuracies in electoral registers were reported,
another 50 cases were connected with voter bribery and pressure. 54
cases of violation during election campaign, 19 cases of violation of
voting procedure, 6 cases of voter fraud, and another 2 cases of
public disorders were reported.
Armenian village heads violate secrecy of voting – opposition party
NEWS.AM
February 18, 2013 | 14:58
YEREVAN. – The prefects of Armenia’s several villages are violating
the precept of secret ballot during Monday’s presidential election,
opposition Heritage Party Press Secretary Hovsep Khurshudyan told news
reporters.
He informed that they have received such reports from Karadzor and
Chochkan villages in Lori Region, Nazrvan and Ohanavan villages in
Aragatsotn village, Akhpradzor village in Gegharkunik Region, and
Zovuni village in Kotayk Region.
The village heads did not leave the election precincts in all these
cases; they accompanied the voters to the voting booths, and markedly
forced them to vote for ruling Republican Party candidate and
incumbent President, Serzh Sargsyan.
According to the reports, election bribes were distributed to the
voters in the aforesaid villages on Sunday. The electoral commissions,
however, refuse to record the violations.
`Disregarding the request of our proxies, the village prefects are not
leaving the precincts,’ Khurshudyan said.
But no violence or threat was reported toward Heritage’s proxies.
Bagratian: I would impose income tax on vote bribes
Monday,
February 18
The presidential candidate Hrant Bagratian along with his wife and
daughter voted at the polling station No 4/27 located in the Yerevan
school # 148 after Galshoyan.
After voting, Bagratian spoke to the reporters, saying that he has
voted for a new Armenia, whose building will start sooner or later.
`Armenia that we have now has exhausted itself and can no longer
develop,’ Bagratian noted.
According to him, yesterday they were informed about vote bribes and
election violations. He said many calls were received from the city of
Stepanavan where violations were recorded.
When asked what he will do in case of his victory or defeat, Bagratian
said that if elected, he will plan a detailed schedule. He said he
does not think he will suffer a defeat. `Yet massive bribes
distributed in villages are disappointing,’ he added.
In his words, the chief thing is fair elections, regardless of who
will win the election.
Speaking about his potential voters, Bagratian said his electorate is
made up of intellectuals, romantics, older people, and – to a smaller
extent – of youths and nationalists.
In the words of H. Bagratian, Serzh Sargsyan does not share his ideas
of Armenia’s model and he has said that.
`I would support a revolution currently as well so that all this would
change, but what I have said is more radical,’ he noted.
When expressing his opinion about those who take vote bribes,
Bagratian said 5,000 AMD will not change anything in their lives.
He humorously remarked that he would impose an income tax on vote bribes.
TODAY, 15:28
Aysor.am
ICRC representatives visited Armenians kept in Azerbaijan and an
Azerbaijani kept in Armenia
Today – 12:58
The representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) visited the soldier of the Azerbaijani Army held in Armenia.
Azerbaijani Press Agency informs about this.
According to the source, the visit took place on January 30.
In June, soldier of the Azerbaijani Army, 19-year-old Farajov Firuz
Mirza passed the border and appeared in Armenian side of the line.
On February 7, the representatives of the ICRC Delegation in
Azerbaijan visited Armenians held in Azerbaijan – five civilians, who
are members of one family.
Armenians, who are held captive in Azerbaijan, Yeghishe, Ruzanna,
Alfred, Gayane and Petros Gevorkyans are members of a family. They
lost their way and appeared on the opposite side of the border on
January 2010.