Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenian National Congress (HAK) coordinator Levon Zurabyan sent a letter to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems Chief of Party for Armenia Michael Getto on the Nov. 22 forum to discuss the RA Electoral Code.
The letter, in part, reads as follows:
“I am sincerely grateful for the invitation to participate in the Nov. 22 forum on the Electoral Code organized by Armenia’s government and a number of international organizations. I am informing you that the Armenian National Congress cannot accept this invitation and I am proposing that the following explanation for declining the invitation be read instead of my speech.
“Dialogue or cooperation with the authorities on any issue, including any discussion of the Electoral Code, can only happen after that, when all political prisoners are released and real progress is registered in uncovering the deaths of March 1 [when authorities forcefully dispersed demonstrators following Armenia’s presidential elections in 2008].
“By initiating such discussions of the Electoral Code, the government attempts to create the illusion that the reason for the widespread fraud and lawlessness so far in these elections is imperfection in the legislation and the problem can be solved by improving the Electoral Code.
[…]
“The Armenian National Congress and any political party, by entering this discussion, unwillingly legitimizes the view that the causes of a corrupt electoral system are tied to the imperfection of the Electoral Code, and thus, becomes a participant in concealing the most serious crime of usurping power through electoral fraud and violence perpetrated by the administration.
“Nevertheless, the Armenian National Congress, interested in removing any legislative gaps, sent its 7 key proposals to the Electoral Code to the Council of Europe, authorizing the latter and those agencies acting under its sponsorship to use them in the relevant discussions…”