Politics 17:00 12/04/2024 Armenia

Freedom House reflects on Civil Contract's misuse of administrative resources at 2023 Yerevan elections

During the campaign for the Yerevan City Council elections in 2023, local observers and independent media observed widespread misuse of administrative resources in favor of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party, Freedom House says in its new report Nations in Transit 2024.

They included the engagement of district heads and their deputies in the campaign on questionable legal grounds, significant publicly funded urban renewal projects during the campaign that were seen as an attempts to influence voters, organized participation of the staff of the municipal and national administrative and educational institutions in rallies organized by Civil Contract, and unprecedented increases in municipal spending on various mass celebratory events featuring the ruling party candidates.

“The Yerevan City Council elections were 2023’s main event in terms of domestic politics, and could be regarded as an intermediate test of confidence between the previous nationwide legislative vote in 2021 and the upcoming elections in 2026. While the opposition is known to be stronger in Yerevan compared to most other regions, Civil Contract still managed to gain more votes than any other party; however, it fell far short of the threshold of seats necessary to install a mayor,” the Washington-based watchdog recalls.

“In fact, even in coalition with a minority partner—the Republic Party—the city is now governed by a minority council. Civil Contract also flexed its political muscle in the city councils of smaller communities, where, in a few cases, it continued its practice of impeaching opposition mayors using dubious tactics. The electoral process generally received a positive evaluation from local and international observers. However, it was also marked by the abuse of administrative resources by the ruling party at a scale unprecedented since the Velvet Revolution.

"While one of the revolution’s most heralded gains has been the decoupling of politics from big businesses and oligarchs, 2023 showed concerning signs of a reversal on that front. In particular, two separate investigative reports shed light on the lack of transparency regarding Civil Contract’s sources of funding. Even more concerning, law enforcement agencies cleared Civil Contract of any wrongdoing, while Pashinyan apologized but said his party had not broken any laws," reads the report.

"Two independent investigations conducted by the Armenian news outlets Infocom and CivilNet—the latter working in cooperation with the international Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) network—and released in early 2024 have revealed strong indications of political corruption.7 According to the reports, Civil Contract may have bypassed party financing rules and utilized unlawful mechanisms for fundraising in 2022 and 2023. Notably, the investigations found that a large portion of individuals listed as Civil Contract donors were not aware of donations made on their behalf, that the donated amounts in many cases exceeded the donors’ income, and that purportedly individual contributions had been made in a coordinated manner. In other words, the real sources of these funds are unknown, making Armenia’s ruling party unaccountable to the country’s everyday citizens and signaling the return of oligarchs’ influence, albeit in a hidden form. Additionally, the reports revealed some overlap between the donors and big businesses benefiting from government tenders. Khachatur Sukiasyan, a Civil Contract deputy in the National Assembly, and his family together own a majority stake in Armeconombank, the bank that was involved in facilitating the donations.8 The Prosecutor’s Office, in loyal solidarity with the ruling party, has dismissed the reports," Freedom House says.



Source Panorama.am
Share |

Related news

Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:35
Azerbaijan trying to force new concessions on Armenia, MP warns
Azerbaijan has turned the sham trial of 23 Armenian prisoners illegally held in Baku into a propaganda tool and a means of justifying war...
16:35
Russia ready to facilitate Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization, Kremlin says
Moscow is ready to facilitate the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement process but would welcome independent efforts of the conflicting sides,...
16:13
'You could have stayed and fought', Armenian speaker tells Artsakh reporter
An Artsakh journalist questioned Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan about the possibility of returning to Artsakh in the...
15:30
Temperatures to rise significantly across Armenia
Dry weather is expected across Armenia on Tuesday and Wednesday. Snow is forecast for most parts of the country later this week. The...
15:05
Mysterious portrait revealed beneath Picasso painting
Art historians studying a painting by Pablo Picasso have uncovered the mysterious portrait of a woman, hidden beneath its surface, CNN...
14:45
Activist accuses Armenian law enforcement of attack cover-up
Opposition activist Artur Chakhoyan has accused Armenian law enforcement officers of concealing material facts related to an attack on him....
14:06
Ombudsperson calls for thorough study of issues related to working conditions at ZCMC
The Human Rights Defender's Office (HRD) summarized the results of its representatives' February 6 visit to the Kajaran...
13:30
Baku court fails to address Ruben Vardanyan's motion for recusal of judicial panel
The Baku Military Court on Monday resumed the sham trial of Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian political prisoner illegally detained in...
13:06
Pashinyan attends official dinner hosted by Macron
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday attended the official dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée...
12:36
Striking ZCMC workers reach agreement with management
The striking employees of Armenia’s Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) on Monday agreed to return to work after reaching an...
12:04
Armine Kheranyan sworn in as opposition MP
At the start of a parliament session on Tuesday, Speaker Alen Simonyan announced that Armine Kheranyan would assume the parliament seat of...
11:36
New members of Chamber of Advocates Council elected
The General Assembly of Armenia's Chamber of Advocates was held on Monday, during which elections took place for the Council’s new...
11:15
Elon Musk-led group makes $97.4bn bid for ChatGPT maker
A consortium of investors led by Elon Musk offered $97.4bn to take over OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, BBC News reported.  The...
11:00
France reaffirms support for ensuring Armenia's development and stability
A meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and French President Emmanuel Macron took place at the Élysée...
17:06
Lawyer: Armenian government must respond to ZCMC strike
Environmental lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan has defended the ongoing strike organized by employees of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC),...
16:35
Fr. Garegin Hambardzumyan attends National Prayer Breakfast in Washington
On February 4-5, the 5th annual International Religious Freedom Summit was held in Washington, followed by the National Prayer Breakfast on...
16:16
Retail traders again protest in Yerevan
Retail traders again gathered outside the Armenian government building on Monday to protest against a sharp increase in the key tax paid by...
15:30
Opposition MP: Azerbaijan trying to use 23 political hostages against Armenia
Tigran Abrahamyan, an MP from the opposition Pativ Unem faction, accused Azerbaijan of attempting to use the fate of 23 Armenians held as...
14:43
Temperatures to drop across Armenia
Dry weather is expected across Armenia from Monday to Wednesday. Snow is forecast later this week. The capital Yerevan will also...
14:12
ZCMC promises pay rise and better working conditions ahead of protest
The Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) issued a statement promising a salary increase and better working conditions demanded by its...
13:30
Pashinyan: Azerbaijan generating real threats to Armenia's security
The Armenpress news agency has published Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's article addressing Azerbaijan's false narratives.The full...
13:10
Ruben Vardanyan's sham trial resumes in Baku
The Baku Military Court will resume the sham trial of Armenian political prisoner Ruben Vardanyan on Monday. After each court hearing,...
12:46
EU demands anti-Russian policy from Armenia, diplomat says
The European Union is already demanding political loyalty and commitment to anti-Russian sanctions from Armenia, however, without giving Yerevan...
12:26
ZCMC workers plan new protest outside enterprise
Employees of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) plan to hold another protest outside the enterprise on Monday as part of their...
11:45
‘Anora’ takes PGA and DGA top honors
Sean Baker’s Brooklyn comedy “Anora”, which stars Armenian actors Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan, took top honors at...
11:26
Rescue Service warns drivers of icy roads in Armenia
The Rescue Service has warned drivers about road closures and icy conditions in Armenia. In particular, the roads connecting the Amberd high...
11:07
Pashinyan off to France
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has paid a working visit to France on February 10-11, his office reported. Pashinyan is set to attend...
17:15
Lawyer says fired ZCMC workers can seek reinstatement in court
The employees of the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) can challenge their dismissal in court, environmental lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan...
16:30
Norway's ex-PM reveals why he got so attached to Armenia
Within the framework of his official visit to Norway on Friday, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with former...
16:00
Marco Rubio urged to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its war crimes
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomes a bipartisan Congressional letter led by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Frank Pallone...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}