P. Switalski: “If there is no consensus, the EC discussions should be continued”
Parliamentary elections of 2017 will symbolize the future of Armenia, said Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Peter Switalski during the discussion organized by “For freedom” foundation over the Electoral Code. “Armenia must be released from the clutches of managed democracy. The managed democracy must have been during the period of shifting from the soviet system to the western model, but the elements of the managed democracy have lasted longer, than people expected,” noted the Ambassador. He says the discussions over the Electoral Code and the final result is also important for the EU. Mr Switalski claims that the volume of the EC doesn’t have any significance. He remembers the claim of his German colleague that the EC of Hamburg has only 8 pages, and that is enough for holding democratic elections, “The EC of Armenia has more than 250 pages, but there is a need to increase trust in Armenia. The Electoral Code should express the proposals of the OSCE and the Venice Commission, we are waiting for the involvement of those proposals in the document, whether they will be involved or not.” Mr Ambassador claims that one thing is clear for him, if even after the discussions not all the parties are satisfied with the results, if there is no final consensus, the discussions should be continued, “Consensus is not a general agreement, it is the absence of objections, if it is done for one general important goal.” The EU, he says, will follow the ongoing processes in Armenia and must be sure that the Electoral Code is well developed, “By that, we can certainly say that we can see European values in Armenia, and in the future we can invest for the further development. One official told me that these elections will be the best in the region, we hope that they will be like the elections in Georgia in 2011,” summed up Mr Switalski.
