Arsen Torosyan: Government Will Make Every Effort for Free, Transparent, and Fair Elections

Today, a meeting took place at the Government of Armenia with the UN office in Armenia and foreign diplomatic representatives to discuss the preparation and conduct of the extraordinary parliamentary elections scheduled for June 20 in Armenia. This was reported by the Government of Armenia.

As stated by Arsen Torosyan, the head of the Prime Minister's Office, it is essential to utilize all available resources to conduct the elections at the highest possible standards, ensuring democracy, transparency, and credibility. Torosyan assured that the Government will work closely with the Central Electoral Commission to exert every effort towards conducting free, transparent, and fair elections and to constantly improve the electoral process: "I am confident that through our joint efforts, we will be able to achieve this."

Torosyan also emphasized the importance of the work of observation missions in the electoral organization process. The head of the Prime Minister's Office addressed the need for proper organization of elections in light of the pandemic: "The extraordinary elections present a significant challenge that we cannot overlook, which is time. To conduct the elections in a qualitative, transparent, free, and fair manner, we must use all available tools, but in a considerably shorter timeframe," said the head of the Prime Minister's Office.

Tigran Mukuchyan, the chairman of the Central Electoral Commission, provided details on the preparatory work for the extraordinary elections. He highlighted the importance of having the necessary technical equipment at polling centers for properly organizing the electoral process and the need to train specialists and staff. Mukuchyan also touched upon the issue of making voters aware of changes in the Electoral Code. To this end, it is planned to print guides and release social media clips. "We also plan to have separate flyers regarding the election process to ensure that voters are informed and prepared for the new voting procedure. As you know, these changes were adopted recently, and they will facilitate the electoral process, but it is very important to inform voters about all this in a short time," noted the chairman of the CEC.

Mukuchyan also mentioned that all tools for ensuring transparency and publicity in the electoral process used in the previous elections will be maintained in these elections as well—voter signed lists will be published, and cameras will be installed at polling stations to ensure the live broadcast of the process.

Representatives of international organizations and foreign diplomatic corps in Armenia have expressed their willingness to assist in the process of conducting free, fair, and transparent elections.