Observers Should Not Be Stampers of Pashinyan's Civil Contract: Armenia Alliance

The Armenia Alliance has issued a statement titled "Observers Should Not Be Stampers of Pashinyan's Civil Contract". It states that, based on the monitoring results of the snap parliamentary elections in Armenia, the international observation mission presented its preliminary post-election statement at a press conference on June 21. The observers noted that the elections were largely conducted properly, but significant concerns still exist.

Today, the Armenia Alliance announced that it refuses to accept the election results, which are expected to be contested in the Constitutional Court of Armenia. The alliance will also work to mobilize other participants in the elections to contest both the election results and various phases of the electoral process.

The Armenia Alliance has regularly expressed serious concerns to the international community regarding systemic violations by the ruling party during the pre-electoral campaign. The alliance also provided compelling evidence to the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission and other foreign missions operating in Armenia. Violations included abuse of official position, misuse of administrative resources, dissemination of hate speech, and abuse of criminal justice, among others.

The parliamentary elections of 2021 contradict the principles enshrined in the 1990 Copenhagen Document, as well as other international obligations. It should be noted, however, that the concerns remained unanswered by the international observation missions. It is evident that international observers failed to meet the minimum requirements for neutrality and independence. International observers should not merely serve as stampers for Pashinyan's Civil Contract.

The results of these elections, in fact, indicate that public faith in this electoral process has eroded due to significant contradictions, which further underscore the urgent need for change. It is not surprising that many voters are concerned about the legitimacy of the elections and the accuracy of their results.

Public trust in electoral processes is crucial for ensuring participation in elections and acceptance of their outcomes. This is especially vital when elections occur under such complex conditions as those following the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, particularly as high levels of political polarization are being recorded.