ACA LETTER OF PROTEST TO OSCE
Support A1+!Armenian Council of America appealed Miguel Angel Moratinos, OSCE Chairman in Office, with a letter of protest on the 12 May parliamentary elections in Armenia.
The letter says: “We are writing to you to express our disappointment with your initial report about the May 12th parliamentary elections in Armenia.
Your initial report stated that the elections were held in accordance to international standards, yet, it goes on to say that many violations were observed where fake identification cards were used or votes cast to small parties were placed on the batches of pro-government parties, etc.
It has now become more evident that the reported violations were on a much larger scale and more frequent, casting serious doubts on the whole process.
Your post-election interim report even stated that “In 35 percent of the 108 polling stations where counting was observed, the PEC (precinct election commission) members had difficulties completing the results protocols,” and added that those protocols were “filled out incompletely or incorrectly.”
The favorable tone in your preliminary assessment is at the very least troubling and bewildering to not only the population of Armenia, but also the Diaspora Armenians, whose only wish is to see a prosperous and democratic Armenia where the rule of law prevails and its citizen’s basic rights are respected. In that regard, your report was an outright blow to the dignity and the aspirations of the Armenian people who once again were deprived of their right to elect their representatives in a free and transparent manner. By lowering the bar, you have given the government of Armenia the green light to continue falsifying election results with impunity and ignore the will of its own people.
Your initial report did not even consider the fact that in the newly elected Parliament the opposition will hold less than 20 seats out of 131. This by itself should have been sufficient to raise doubts about the outcome of the elections. All records show that in no country, where majority of the population lives below poverty level, the ruling parties can get such an overwhelming mandate.
We believe that the citizens of Armenia are entitled to fair and transparent elections that would produce an electoral body that truly represents the people’s will. We also believe that your organization plays a vital role in promoting democratic principles and values in countries such as Armenia . Consequently, any assessment made by your organization is immensely important not only for those who are truly striving for democracy, but also for those who since the famously rigged 2003 parliamentary elections were busy developing new and sophisticated mechanisms of election fraud. It is our sincere hope that your final report will not be politically driven but rather be much more comprehensive and reflective of the facts”.
