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“2017 marks quite an important year for Armenia in terms of electoral processes,” Natalia Voutova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, said at a conference on the topic of  “Election Developments in Armenia” held in Yerevan, Armenia, meantime highlighting that they intend to continue cooperating with the Armenian Government and the civil society to improve the electoral processes.

Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski, in attendance of the discussion, in his turn noted that the EU has already expressed its initial views on the recent elections in Armenia, adding that additional opinions may be expressed following the final report of the European structures.

In Mr. Świtalski’s words, no one can state that the recent Armenian elections were perfect and that Armenia has reached the level that the country aspires to. 

“We are almost half way on this path. It took 25 years to go toward that objective. I am aware of the factors that formed that road. I believe the next elections will be more satisfactory,” Peter Świtalski said, adding that the electoral processes in Armenian are in a better condition to compare with other post-Soviet countries.

The Head of the EU Delegation underscored that special attention is to be paid to the happenings out of the polling stations in Armenia.

“The preliminary report of the EU pointed out cases of vote buying, bribery and voicing threats at the elections. Doctors cast ballots instead of the patients at one of the medical centers. Cases of beating and humiliation were also recorded. These are unacceptable phenomena, which must be eliminated. Armenians need profound democracy,” he official said.

Peter Świtalski called for ensuring an atmosphere of mutual trust to improve the Electoral Code, stressing that the discussions on the Electoral Code were significantly successful, however the authorities and the opposition failed to reach a full consensus.

“Certainly the authorities and the opposition held talks over this matter, however they failed to reach a compromise regarding several issues. However the political forces of even the most democratic countries seek to make the Electoral Code in line with their interests,” he said.

The official also highlighted the need of making Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) a reliable establishment that enjoys the public trust, noting the same thing about the judicial bodies.