YEREVAN. – The civil society claims, and in connection with inviting international observers to conduct an observation mission during the forthcoming parliamentary election in Armenia, have no grounds.   

Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Armenia, Tigran Mukuchyan, told the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In his words, when inviting and accrediting election observers, the CEC followed the law in Armenia and it was guided by international obligations.

He stressed that there was no limitation in terms of the number of observers, and of the participation of any observer proposed by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR).

“We did not invite solely the foreign NGOs,” added Mukuchyan. “And the [respective] arguments are as follows: One: there are no specific criteria for the selection of an NGO, and it is very difficult to avoid accusations of showing discriminatory, or arbitrary, approach.

“Two: We do not know the work standards of foreign NGOs, and it is unreal and impossible to create a common basis for such cooperation only on election day.”

As reported earlier, the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) issued a statement condemning the refusal of the Armenian authorities to invite its international citizen observers to monitor the parliamentary election scheduled on April 2.