OSCE, EU support discussion on role of police during Armenia’s elections

YEREVAN, 13 April 2012 –– The role and responsibilities of the police during the elections, including co-operation with electoral commissions, political parties, observers, as well as interaction with citizens were discussed today at a roundtable meeting in Yerevan.

The event was organized at the initiative of the Armenian Police with the support from the OSCE Office in Yerevan and financial assistance from the European Union.

The purpose of the workshop is to clarify the roles of various law enforcement agencies during all stages of the electoral process and their interaction with the election administration, as well as to inform all stakeholders, including political parties, electoral bodies, observers, media, international organizations and the public at large, about it.

"The role of the police in helping ensure smooth conduct of the upcoming elections cannot be underestimated,” said Lieutenant-General Vladimir Gasparyan, the Head of the Armenian Police. “The main goal of today’s event is to present all the measures taken by the Police so far in the preparation for the elections, and to hear the participants’ views and suggestions."

Ambassador Andrey Sorokin, the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, said: “I am pleased to see the continuous effort by law enforcement bodies to be predictable and transparent  towards the public, and inform people about the way the police intends to address issues of public concern. Today’s event is one in a series and we encourage representatives of the police, media outlets, political parties and civil society organizations present here today to widely publisize the conclusions of the presentations and discussions.”

“Transparency is essential to build the trust of society in the electoral process,” said Onno Simons, First Counselor of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia. “The police has an important role in this process, and we hope it will be used precisely for this – to help ensure transparency, and thereby assure voters of the significance of their vote.”

Participants discussed the activities of the newly established police structure responsible for electoral issues, as well as public’s engagement in the correction of possible inaccuracies of voter lists, procedures to file police reports on violations and ways to respond quickly to them. Other topics included co-operation between electoral commissions and police units, providing information to the media, policing during the election day, organizing patrol services, ensuring public order and doing safety management.

The workshop is part of a 1.7 million euro project on strengthening electoral processes in Armenia in line with international standards, implemented by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and financed by the EU.