YEREVAN.- No electoral system is perfect because of human factor, the chief of the  IFES mission to Armenia Michael Getto said in Yerevan.

“The system is imperfect, because it’s made by people,” he said at a Thursday press conference in Yerevan, giving a general answer on key technical issues related to electoral processes in Armenia.

He chose not to comment on the content of the electoral campaign and clashes between particular political parties and contenders at single-member districts, which send 41 of 131 MPs to the National Assembly and are a spot of controversy between the ruling coalition and the opposition parties.

IFES mandate in Armenia includes cooperation with stakeholders in elections, including civil society and relevant state authorities. When asked if the IFES has discussed the issue of voters’ lists (increased while the actual population has diminished) with the Visa and Registration Authority at the Police of Armenia (OVIR), he explained that this too lies beyond the mandate of the organization.

“I would defer this question to those more knowledgeable,” he answered, preferring to focus on the trainings delivered to election officers and civil society. This process, he stressed, is an ongoing one. 

“This is like a continuous education. We all want to be more capable and more experienced. The same is true about the elections. Updating on legislation and international practices is always of use. As for the expectations from the elections, I don’t want to get into any kind of expectations. But it’s a pleasure to be here, we enjoy working here and we look forward to working here in the future,” he said.

The mission of IFES will monitor polling stations on the election day of May 6, but is observing the entire electoral process.

Since 1995, IFES has been supporting Armenia with technical assistance in the electoral process. For the parliamentary elections of 2012, together with the USAID, IFES launched a “Competent voter” website (armelections.info), with Armenian-language data on voting procedures and hotlines of the Prosecutor General’s office and “emergency legal aid”.