Armenia: Democracy News and Documents
On February 19, Armenia had scheduled presidential elections. For the first time in years, democratic activists rallied around the candidacy of Levon Ter Petrosian, the former president who had been forced to resign in 1996 and who re-emerged in 2007 as a major political contender to the favored candidate of the incumbent and the candidate of the ruling Republican Party, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan. Although the Venice Commission had indicated some improvement in electoral legislation in Armenia, pre-election monitoring noted the general public's lack of trust in Armenia's electoral and judicial institutions, unfair use of state power for the election, and control of the Central Election commission. No election had met the standards of the Council of Europe. Results were held back and announced only on February 24. The result was predictable: a now standard 53 percent for the ruling party candidate, enough to avoid a runoff of the top two candidates mandated by law. This same number was used to "elect" Georgia's president in elections in early January. Unfortunately, despite clear evidence to the contrary, the OSCE and Council of Europe monitoring mission expressed satisfaction with the conduct and results of the elections, stating that improvements were needed but overall the elections met basic standards). In response, the opposition, led by Ter Petrosian, organized mass rallies over the course of the next week until, on March 1, the authorities attacked and killed at least nine peaceful demonstrators. Despite the protests, Sargysyan has rejected any claims of the "elections'" non-legitimacy and was sworn in as President.
The disconnect between reality and the conclusions of European monitors is now common (see the article "Voices from Afar: Freetocracy" by Thomas de Waal and also below "The Functioning of Democratic Institutions in Armenia"). Below, IDEE presents articles, documents, and appeals related to the elections. The Armenian National Committee of the Helsinki Citiens Assembly is a Center for Pluralism.
Current Articles and Documents: 2008
The Crisis of Elections
New Item: Appeal to Council of Europe for Special Rapporteur for South Caucasus Political Prisoners (June 6, 2008)
An Open Letter to the U.S. Helsinki Commission (April 17, 2008)
The Functioning of Democratic Institutions in Armenia (April 16, 2008)
Appeal of the Armenian National Committee of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Against Repression (March 16, 2008)
Appeal to the OSCE/ODIHR to Reconsider by the Helsinki Citizens Assembly
Open Letter from Wives of Victims of Political Persecution in Armenia (March 18, 2008)
New Item: Armenia: Violence at Polling Stations Mars Elections (HRW, February 22, 2008)
"Voices from Afar: Freetocracy" by Thomas de Waal
IDEE Programs in Armenia: 2000-2007
Armenia: Building Community Connections (2003-2004)
Networking Women in the Caucasus: (1999-2003)
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