24/06/2016
On 24 June 2016, the working group of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR held discussions with representatives of the opposition on the on-going electoral reform in Armenia. It subsequently held a working meeting with Ms Arpine Hohvanissyan, Minister of Justice and Mr Davit Harutyunyan, Chief of Staff of the Government. Both meetings included discussions on the recent mutual agreement reached in Yerevan between the government and the opposition on the "organisational and technical mechanisms for oversight over the lawfulness of the electoral process".
The Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR welcomed the meaningful engagement of all stakeholders which led to this agreement. The meeting acknowledged that voter registration and identification issues are being addressed, while the proper implementation of new technologies has to be ensured, including through careful timing and the use of pilots. In the course of the working meeting, some additional areas for further improvement were identified, including access to the list of voters who voted, the timing of measures to increase gender equality, accreditation of citizens observers and extension of complaint periods. These reforms could increase trust in the electoral process in Armenia.
This activity fell in the framework of the Programmatic Cooperation Framework (PCF) for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.