After monitoring the media and social medias, as well as talking to reporters, Electoral Rights Watch of Armenia has found out that Acting PM Nikol Pashinyan, the candidate for the post of Prime Minister of the ruling Civil Contract Party, on Friday visited Ararat Province to carry out election campaign, and it was accompanied by a number of violations. The Electoral Rights Watch noted this in a statement, which continues as follows, in particular:

1) by large-scale use of administrative resources during working hours;

2) by spreading hate speech by Nikol Pashinyan;

3) by obstruction of the professional activities of reporters covering the events.

In particular, the citizens participating in the campaign rally insulted and accompanied with cursing Tert.am reporter Ani Gevorgyan and Yerevan.Today reporter Syuzi Badoyan, one of the citizens hit Ani Gevorgyan and snatched her phone. The citizens also damaged the filming equipment, attacked the car transporting the reporters.

The reporters were also hindered from carrying out their professional activities by the police, who were always accompanied by unknown people in civilian clothes, who instructed the police throughout.

During the assemblies, Nikol Pashinyan spread hate speech and in fact ordered attacks in the streets against oppositionists and dissidents.

The Electoral Rights Watch strongly condemns what occurred, considers that there are elements of a crime, and therefore demands from the competent authorities to immediately initiate criminal proceedings and prosecute all those who have apparently committed a crime, including the de facto acting prime minister."