Epress.am News from Armenia
If in past elections, electoral violations were noted on Election Day, well now electoral violations will happen before voting day, predicted RA Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan, speaking to reporters in the capital today. He suggested gathering an arsenal of violations and fighting them not only on the street, but also in the legal arena, though, according to him, the judiciary in Armenia is also not quite reliable.
Assessing freedom of the media, Andreasyan said, in terms of freedom, online and print news media are ahead as compared to previous election periods, while confessing that parity is not maintained in television.
“I am expecting fair elections from the police chief, the prosecutor general, the Central Elections Commission, and the public state broadcaster. I don’t have an opportunity to meet with [Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan. I am going to try to have meetings with all the election teams. We are going to try to explain the law and not enter into political strife,” he said.
Beginning on Apr. 9, the Ombudsman’s office will have 20 rapid response vehicles, a group of 100 attorneys, and 116 hotlines. It has also opened branches in several regional centers in the country.