Opposition groups report violations, technical issues

PanARMENIAN.Net - Representatives of the Strong Armenia Alliance have reported a range of violations and technical issues during the parliamentary elections.

Speaking at a press conference, party member Gohar Meloyan said that authorized representatives of the alliance had been denied entry to several polling stations.

“The violations are significant and substantive, and they indicate one thing: certain political forces lack confidence in their victory. This is even more dangerous because it involves attempts to interfere with the will of citizens,” she said, according to Sputnik Armenia.

At the same time, Meloyan noted that voter participation appeared relatively high. According to her, about 20 minutes earlier, turnout had already reached 187,917 voters. She said updated figures would be presented every two hours.

“We also received reports that technical devices were not functioning properly in some locations. In some places there were power outages. At certain polling stations, the fingerprint device indicators did not light up, which raises serious concerns as to whether there may have been interference with those devices,” she said, adding that if the number of such cases increases, the devices will be sent for examination.

The alliance also recorded cases in which a voter’s receipt number did not match the number listed next to that voter’s name on the electoral register, although the two should have corresponded. Meloyan said such discrepancies could lead to serious problems.

She also addressed the quality of ballot envelopes, stating that some were partially transparent, which, in her view, could affect the protection of ballot secrecy.

Meloyan further presented a video which she said showed a citizen removing the alliance’s ballot paper from a polling station to demonstrate that he or she had not voted for the political force. Representatives of Strong Armenia followed the individual and recorded that the ballot paper was later discarded in a trash bin.

According to her, some polling stations also reported damaged or defective ballots belonging to the alliance, while campaign leaflets were found scattered on the ground at another polling location.

Meanwhile, Iveta Tonoyan, a member of the political council of the Prosperous Armenia Party, said the party had received numerous reports regarding actions taken against its representatives on election day, according to Panorama.am .

“The day began with attacks by various branches of the law enforcement system, particularly through the detention and arrest of representatives of Prosperous Armenia’s regional structures,” she said.

Tonoyan stated that a “total attack” against the party’s regional offices, authorized representatives and headquarters coordinators had begun early in the morning. According to her, party representatives in the regions were being “massively detained on various fabricated charges.”

She stressed that such developments had been predictable because, in her assessment, “this approach was maintained toward opposition representatives throughout the entire election campaign.”

She added that “the continuation of persecutions against opposition representatives on election day itself and on this scale is a fact that defies any logic.”

Tonoyan also reported receiving complaints from various polling stations concerning alleged directed voting, attempts to remove ballots from polling stations and the placement of campaign materials near polling locations.

“We have numerous reports that various campaign posters have been placed near polling stations, which, as is well known, constitutes a violation of the law,” she said.

She further noted that information had been received about campaign leaflets featuring photographs of the leaders of three opposition parties, adding that the party’s rapid-response specialists were investigating the reports.

According to Tonoyan, Prosperous Armenia will continue monitoring all potential violations recorded throughout the day and will issue corresponding statements.

“I want to address our compatriots and all those participating in the electoral process. If they witness electoral violations, they can contact us,” she said.

Summing up her remarks, the Prosperous Armenia representative said that, in her view, “all of this has one purpose: to paralyze and disrupt the electoral process in Armenia, hinder the population’s right to free expression and obstruct the activities of authorized representatives.”

“The only antidote to all of this is active participation by our compatriots. I want to call on, ask and urge all our fellow citizens to make sure they go and vote today, June 7,” she added.

Regular National Assembly elections are underway in Armenia. The country’s 2,005 polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. The voter registry includes 2,485,851 registered voters. Polling stations will remain open until 8:00 p.m.

A total of 18 political forces are participating in the parliamentary elections: two electoral alliances and 16 political parties. The electoral threshold is 4% for parties and 8% for alliances.