OSCE and Council of Europe experts encourage Armenia to improve election law by end of the year

YEREVAN/WARSAW, 3 March 2004 - Armenia has the opportunity to develop an electoral law in line with international standards by the end of 2004. This was the conclusion of experts from the Council of Europe and OSCE who participated in intensive roundtable discussions in Yerevan on reform of the legal and administrative framework for elections.

During the four-day event, experts from the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) outlined improvements that need to be made to the electoral framework to ensure compliance with Armenia's OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and other international standards for democratic elections.

"The National Assembly is committed to adopting an amended Electoral Code by the end of 2004", said Vahan Hovhannisyan, Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly. "We are grateful for the assistance provided by the OSCE and Council of Europe and look forward to working with their experts throughout the reform process".

Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, welcomed the "acknowledgement by Armenian political leaders of the need to reform the electoral law and their desire that this be undertaken in an expedient and serious manner. This will be an essential first step in improving public confidence in the electoral process".

Natalia Voutova, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, said she hoped that in the process of amending the electoral legislation parliament will make use of the constructive recommendations made by experts and participants at the roundtable.

The event, held 24 to 27 February, was attended by representatives of the Presidential administration, Central Election Commission, Constitutional Court, political parties, civil society and the international community. They discussed a wide range of issues, focusing on the formation and functioning of election commissions, compilation and maintenance of voter lists, role of proxies and observers, publication of results and complaints and appeals procedures.

Experts and participants alike acknowledged that political will remains the determining factor in improving elections in Armenia.

The Venice Commission and the ODIHR published joint recommendations in January 2004 to improve the electoral law and election administration. Both organizations are committed to jointly providing additional support to the process of reform, including the preparation of a paper based on the roundtable discussions, and joint public comments on amendments to the law, as they pass through parliament later in the year.