About 300 OSCE/ODIHR observers to monitor elections in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - About 300 observers from OSCE/ODIHR will monitor parliamentary elections in Armenia, head of the election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said.

“We are interested in the election process and not the outcomes,” Radmila Šekerinska said.

According to her, 13 experts from OSCE 12 member-states have already arrived in Armenia to assess compliance of elections with the democratic principles and obligations Armenia has assumed. The OSCE/ODIHR observation mission will also monitor the election campaign and the media coverage.

Šekerinska said that 24 long-term observers from 17 countries will arrive in the coming week, with 250 more short-term observers to come right before the elections.

She said that the long-term observers and experts will stay longer to monitor the post-election process too.

Asked as to whether the number of observers will be enough to draw a preliminary conclusion the next day after the elections, head of the election observation mission noted, “Observers will provide sufficient statistic for the conclusion.”

Šekerinska further said that observers from OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and other European intuitions will also monitor the election process.