Epress.am News from Armenia
At 10/20 polling station in Yerevan's Kentron and Nork Marash administrative districts, a proxy from Armenia's ruling Republican Party initiated an altercation with iLur.am freelance correspondent Rafayel Afrikyan, tore his clothes and broke the reporter's camera, iLur.am writes. Afrikyan has reported the incident to the prosecutor's office; the Republican proxy has been detained.
Hetq.am, in turn, reports that upon entering the 5/28 polling station in Arabkir station, another Republican proxy Arthur Khurshudyan approached the outlet's reporter and started yelling: “Enough already with swarming around here!”
Khurshudyan, as stated by the source, seized journalist Diana Ghazaryan's laptop on which she was writing her news material, and as the reporter was trying to film the violator, the man quickly left the precinct, taking the laptop with him.
Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor office (HCAV) reports that journalist Sona Tadevosyan, a representative of the Gyumri-based Asparez Journalists' Club, has been detained from the 26/16 polling station in the town of Charentsavan in Armenia's Kotayk province.
On 8 am Sunday Armenians have begun voting in a nationwide referendum on draft constitutional amendments, initiated by President Serzh Sargsyan, that seek, among other changes, to transition Armenia from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary system of governance.
Local observation missions have been reporting a number of different infringements during the election process, including but not limited to hindrance to the observers' and journalists' work, violations of the secrecy of voting, as well as numerous instances of multiple voting.
Photo of a man voting for the second time at 11/3 polling station in Yerevan's Shengavit district, as reported by Transparency International Armenia