Open news feed Close news feed
A A

“I WANT TO MEET WITH 9 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES”

Politics

While talking about the presidential candidates, representatives of NGOs and other organizations in Armenia, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis and the OSCE Needs Assessment Mission have pointed out that the most obvious violation before 19 February presidential election is the unequal conditions for the presidential candidates in the information field.

Members of the OSCE observation mission refused to answer to the question of “A1+”, in favor of which candidate the principles of equality are violated by the mass media and advised to read the Needs Assessment Mission Report.

OSCE/ODIHR media analyst Ivan Godarsky was involved in the monitoring of mass media in the pre-election period. Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens, head of the observation mission also reflected on the primary role of the mass media in the elections. “The role of mass media can be decisive in the elections”, said Mr Ahrens. He raised the issue during the meetings with the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission. “I want to meet with all presidential candidates, judicial authorities and the representatives of NGOs. I also want to meet the long-term observers in the regions”, said the head of the OSCE observation mission.

The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutes and Human Rights (ODIHR) opened an election observation mission today for the presidential election in Armenia on 19 February. Besides 11 core staff of the mission, 28 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country on 15 January.

Mr Ahrens also informed that 250 short-term observers would be deployed immediately prior to the election. They will monitor the opening of polling stations, the voting, the counting of ballots and the tabulation of results. Mr Ahrens, who headed the OSCE observation mission during the election in Ukraine in 2004, declared that they would asses the electoral process in terms of its compliance with OSCE commitments for democratic elections, other international standards and national legislation. Before 19 February, the OSCE observers will present 2 interim reports, the next day of the election they will present their assessment, and the last one they will release in 2 months after the election.

The head of the OSCE mission mentioned that the OSCE has never conducted an exit poll, and it is the US Government’s intention to conduct an exit poll in Armenia.

“We can use it as information and analyze it, but we cannot consider the results of the exit poll decisive for the final results of election”, said Ambassador Greet-Hinrich Ahrens.