Foreign observers should encourage South Caucasus polls – expert

PanARMENIAN.Net - The role that foreign observers should have in South Caucasus elections is to provide encouragement and support for a process through which the people can express themselves through the ballot box, elect the leaders they want, and replace them when they feel that they should, Director of LINKS and long time commentator on the Caucasus Region and European Security Issues said.

“This can be done with technical support, encouragement, advice and a bit of gentle nudging. When things go wrong the international community needs to speak out because if not it would be acquiescing to injustice. More specifically Armenia has signed up to international obligations in the framework of its membership of the Council of Europe and the OSCE. This provides for closer monitoring of the process, and in some case legal redress through the European Court for Human Rights. Nobody forced Armenia to sign these commitments so this is not interference; it is the way civilized countries work together to help each other,” Dennis Sammut said.

“Regarding Russia, the Russian leadership has developed a tendency not only not to criticize election processes in the CIS but also to condemn the west when criticism is expressed. By doing so Russia is perceived by many democrats in the CIS countries as their enemy,” the expert said.