#armvote2021. Daily News Digest

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [13.06.2021]

Read the daily news digest for June 12 here. CEC has made decisions on Pashinyan's registration and invalidation of the "Civil Contract" party's electoral list At the June 13 sitting, the RA Central Electoral Commission examined the applications of Edgar Ghazaryan and Naira Zohrabyan. Edgar Ghazaryan had demanded to invalidate the registration of the PM candidate Nikol Pashinyan in the list of the "Civil Contract" party and to initiate administrative proceedings. Naira Zohrabyan had applied to the Central Electoral Commission, demanding that the commission applies to the Administrative Court to invalidate the registration of the "Civil Contract" party's electoral list. Her application was based on the fact that the "Civil Contract" party was using insulting expressions during the campaign. The commission headed by CEC Chairman Tigran Mukuchyan, who chaired the sitting, rejected Edgar Ghazaryan's application, which, according to the commission, was submitted by an incompetent structure. The application had to be made by the party or the alliance that participates in the elections. Naira Zohrabyan's application was rejected on the same grounds. Robert Kocharyan shared thoughts on the work of current authorities "People who had absolutely no idea about the field, started to lead the field, and after taking office, they started to believe that they are the experts in it, they are the leaders. They started making decisions which, instead of developing the field, consistently destroyed what there was before," said Robert Kocharyan, the leader of the "Armenia" alliance, during a meeting with the voters in Noyemberyan. "Fighting against the elite is more of a classical term. It aims to awaken the spirit of the 2018 revolution. We have seen its consequences. They are hard. There are people guilty and responsible for all this," he said. Kocharyan mentioned that since current authorities have nothing to say and there's no result of work, they attack others and put the blame for the failures on them. Serzh Sargsyan commented whether there were talks about enclaves during his administration During a pre-election campaign meeting of the “I Have Honor” ("Pativ Unem") alliance in the Arabkir district of Yerevan, Armenia's 3rd president Serzh Sargsyan declared that during his administration there was no talk about enclaves at all. "Since I held offices that allowed me to have sufficient information during the administrations of the two former presidents, I declare that no authorities of Armenia have ever discussed such an issue. Let the current leader of Armenia show a document on this. He has to show a document at least once. When have there been negotiations over enclaves? There can’t be negotiations over enclaves now,” Sargsyan said. Edmon Marukyan commented on providing a corridor to Azerbaijan In a conversation with journalists during the campaign in Nor Nork the leader of the "Bright Armenia" party Edmon Marukyan referred to the talks on providing a corridor to Azerbaijan and unblocking the roads, Marukyan said that Armenia has no alternative to unblocking. "The corridor is excluded, no, it should not be given. No problem with opening the borders, as Armenia has always been in favor of opening the borders, but for Armenia acting as a side was just a statement, and nothing was done to adjust the legislation, " Marukyan added. He noted that all those who say that after the elections they can come and get the Azerbaijanis out of the country by war, must either be adventurous or liars. "The cancellation of the November 9 document means a new war. If Armenia had the potential for a new war, I think the invasion of Syunik could turn into a war. But we are going through the way of negotiations," Marukyan added. Pashinyan spoke about the returning process of the POWs During a meeting with residents within the framework of the election campaign in Yeghvard PM candidate of the “Civil Contract” party Nikol Pashinyan talked about the maps handed over to Azerbaijan in exchange for the return of POWs. "Yesterday there was a celebration in Armenia related to the return of 15 Armenian POWs. Yes, maps of minefields were handed over to Azerbaijan yesterday. Maps were issued some time ago. When we saw that Azerbaijan stopped the process of returning our POWs, we stopped the process of providing maps. They ask how come the captives returned now, in this period. When US Deputy Secretary of State Philip Reeker came to Armenia, he said that they were going to make a serious effort to revive the process of returning the POWs. He asked if we were ready to offer anything in return. 15 families are happy again. And now we are talking not only about the return of 15 POWs but also about the revival of the process of returning the POWs,” Pashinyan stated. Armenian ombudsman concerned over the insulting and swearing language of political forces Armenia's Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has issued a statement about the vocabulary of political forces participating in the election campaign. Tatoyan states that their vocabulary is full of insulting words and its spread is getting very disturbing. "In particular, the rhetoric of political forces and their leaders using such vocabulary is rapidly spreading among supporters and dissenters. Political forces, and especially public figures, must urge everyone to respect every human right, especially dignity and freedom of expression. It is necessary to promote the restoration of solidarity and guarantee mutual respect in the country by our own example,” the statement notes.

20:30 - 13 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [12.06.2021]

Read the daily news digest for June 11 here. Armenia's Ombudsman calls to stop mocking citizens expressing their opinion on elections Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has issued a statement where he calls to stop mocking citizens expressing their opinion on elections. "One of the vicious and very disturbing manifestations of the election campaign is that the supporters of different political forces prepare and share photos and videos of citizens supporting their opponent political forces, including insults, swearing, and humiliating expressions.This vicious phenomenon is very worrying, as it indicates the polarization of the society, as well as the unacceptably high level of intolerance. Therefore, I call to stop this, and all political forces participating in the election campaign must take action, including urging their supporters to refrain from insults, swearing, and hate speech. One of the main tasks of this election is to restore solidarity in the country and ensure the rule of law, and not deepen the polarization and intolerance," Tatoyan wrote. On June 21 Pashinyan invites people to Republic Square to note the victory of the non-violent, steel revolution During the pre-election campaign in Tchambarak. the leader of the "Civil Contract" party and PM candidate Nikol Pashinyan invited people to Republic Square to note the victory of the non-violent, steel revolution. "They called you and us "mud". On June 20, we must go to the polling station, show who the "mud" is in this republic, we must show all those "muds" their place in Armenia, it must be done by the proud, free, dignified citizen of Armenia. On June 21, I invite you all to the Republic Square to note the victory of the non-violent, steel revolution," Pashinyan said. He also added that these days his party in active cooperation and discussions with the Russian counterparts. “They are widely involved. We are on our way to the step-by-step solution to this problem. We are also working within the framework of our international partners, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. But we must solve our security problems by creating a professional army. The solution within the contract is not a professional solution, ” said Pashinyan. During another meeting with citizens in Tsovagyugh, Pashinyan said that his party wants people living in Armenia not to be a submissive, but a citizen. "So far, everything has been done to make people submissive, so that they are not above any bar. We want the person living in Armenia not to be a submissive, but a citizen. An elite circle has been formed. They have got the education, they have got the business, they have got the opportunity. This is the result of a very long policy because education has been limited," Pashinyan stated. Robert Kocharyan promises to eliminate enmity in Armenia after coming to power PM candidate, the leader of the "Armenia" alliance Robert Kocharyan visited Spitak, Lori on the 6th day of the pre-election campaign. During the meeting with the citizens, he recalled his visits to Spitak during the time of his presidency. "After June 20, you will see a government for which it will be a matter of honor to look you in the eye every time we come here and say what we have done," Kocharyan promised. He announced that they are coming to power to restore the country's security, protect the borders and ensure economic growth, prevent emigration, create jobs, and provide a prosperous life for everyone. "We will bring peace with us. I say that during all the rallies. A society that is filled with enmity towards each other cannot be constructive. Nothing can be done if we do not unite like a fist and do not set ourselves a prosperous, developing, strong Armenia," Kocharyan said. He also added that during his presidency there was a dictatorship of discipline and responsibility in Armenia. The representative of the "I Have Honor" alliance commented the possible coalition with the "Armenia" alliance The representative of the "I Have Honor" ("Pativ Unem") alliance Davit Harutyunyan doesn't exclude the idea of forming a coalition with the "Armenia" alliance. He expressed the statement during an interview with "Azatutyun". "One thing is clear, all the prudent political forces have very clearly stated that there can be no cooperation with the force led by Pashinyan. And it is obvious because they were not involved in politics. The rest will be decided after the election results," he said. To the question of whether they will form a coalition with Robert Kocharyan, Harutyunyan noted: "I have already mentioned with whom we will not form an alliance for 100%. The rest will be decided after the election results." An MP candidate charged with bribery is remanded in custody The court has granted the motion to remand in custody a representative and an MP candidate of a political party that is running in the snap parliamentary elections in Armenia on June 20. This was reported by the Special Investigation Service. It should be reminded that earlier the Special Investigative Service had charged A. A. with committing the criminal act provided for in Article 154.2, Part 4, Clauses 1 and 2 of the RA Criminal Code, in which the latter had given bribes to voters in the Gavar region in the form of food to vote for the party.

20:00 - 12 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [11.06.2021]

Read the daily news digest for June 10 here. Electronic voting for Armenia’s snap parliamentary elections has kicked off The electronic voting for the early election of parliament of Armenia kicked off on June 11, at 08:00 Yerevan time. The e-voting will end on June 13, at 20:00.Citizens of Armenia who are entitled to vote from abroad are diplomats and their family members, military servicemen and their family members, employees of representations of legal people registered in Armenia, and their family members. The results of the electronic voting will be summed up and the protocol on the voting results will be published on the voting day, meaning on June 20 after 20:00. According to the list released by the Central Electoral Commission, 650 people are eligible to vote from abroad. An incident during the “Civil Contract” party’s electoral campaign On June 9 a dispute and brawl have taken place during an election campaign in the Arabkir administrative district of Yerevan with the participation of members of the "Civil Contract" party. The information was confirmed by the speaker of the Investigative Committee Vardan Tadevosyan. As reported, a criminal case has been launched in regard to the incident and has been transferred to the investigation division for preliminary investigation. According to the available information, during a campaign meeting of the “Civil Contract” Party, former Minister of High-Tech Industry Hakob Arshakyan, other members of the Party, and citizens got into a dispute, after which they ended up brawling. Serzh Sargsyan suggests holding a shield against Pashinyan’s “steel” revolution Armenia’s third president, currently PM candidate Serzh Sargsyan commented on Nikol Pashinyan’s idea of replacing the “velvet” of the Velvet Revolution with “steel”. "I don't know what “steel revolution” means but during the last three years we have witnessed the luxury of the so-called velvet revolution. We understood that “velvet revolution” means dividing people, dissemination of lies by key figures, the collapse of our security system, handing over 75% of Karabakh, killing thousands of people for the head of the velvet revolution to stay on his seat. We understood that “velvet revolution” means the occupation of a part of Armenia’s territory and inability to defend own border against that occupation," he said.Sargsyan noted that if by saying "steel revolution" Pashinyan means intensification of these processes, then everyone should prepare a shield from a stronger material to confront it “Bright Armenia” wants to make sure no political force gets 51% votes The leader of the "Bright Armenia" party, PM candidate Edmon Marukyan says the first thing "Bright Armenia" wants to do is to make sure none of the political forces gets 51% of the votes. To the statement that Nikol Pashinyan announced they would get 63%, Marukyan responded: "Neither he nor anyone else will get 63%. It is possible that we will force the formation of a national solidarity government. And if a force gets 51%, that force has an agenda to destroy its opponents. As a result, we will all be destroyed. We have seen those destruction processes during the last three years. No force brought anything good to the country.” Robert Kocharyan thinks current authorities have ruined the work he has done throughout his life The political force that is directly responsible for this situation still hopes that it can get people's vote. This means that any government can come, destroy everything, and still hope that it will continue to remain in its seat. Robert Kocharyan said this today during a meeting with his supporters in Charentsavan. "The reason why we, personally, enter into this struggle is that these people have simply destroyed the work I have done in my life. My biography is simply inseparable from the Artsakh liberation war. My life and the struggle for the liberation of Artsakh were crossed and they destroyed, separated, and burned it," he said. During the electoral campaign, Kocharyan also claimed that he hasn't had any relations with the authorities since 2008. "From 2009 to 2018 I wasn't even in touch, because there were many things I did not agree with, that is why I did not have direct contact," said the leader of the "Armenia" alliance. Pashinyan commented on the "enclave for enclave" exchange between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the trilateral document During a campaign event in Armenia’s northern town of Berd on June 11, acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan referred to the speculation that Armenia and Azerbaijan could return to Soviet-era borders in the future and exchange enclaves. “The Artsvashen enclave (is ours) but is under the rule of Azerbaijan. Our logic is that the (formerly Armenian) enclave should be exchanged for (formerly Azerbaijani) enclaves,” Pashinyan stated. Pashinyan mentioned that during the negotiation stage in the run-up to the November 9 ceasefire agreement, which ended the 2020 Karabakh war, there was concern over the topic of the enclaves. According to the acting prime minister, the topic of enclaves has always been on the agenda of Armenia-Azerbaijan talks since 1999, and Azerbaijan has brought up the issue from time to time. Referring to the trilateral document signed between Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020, Pashinyan assured that during the Artsakh war, the fight continued to the point where it made sense and that the process was stopped only when it became clear that there was no reason to go on. "There are legends that I was allegedly signing papers, handing over enclaves or territories, and at the last moment some people came and grabbed my hand," said Pashinyan, assuring that none of that information corresponds the reality. The Democratic Party of Armenia to dispute the CEC decision in court The Democratic Party of Armenia has issued a statement noting that it does not recognize the decision of the Central Electoral Commission on invalidating the party's PM candidate Tigran Arzakantsyan's registration, considering it to be an expression of political bias. "We think this decision was made under pressure, as the Democratic Party has become a serious force, and Tigran Arzakantsyan has gained such a reputation that enjoys the trust of tens of thousands of voters․ The law has no retroactive effect. The decision will be appealed in court soon. The removal of the leader of the Democratic Party puts under question the legitimacy of the June 20 elections in general," the statement notes.

20:25 - 11 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [10.06.2021]

Read the daily news digest for June 9 here. Nikol Pashinyan commented on the recording ex-president Serzh Sargsyan had published Armenia’s acting Prime Minister and the PM candidate of the “Civil Contract” party Nikol Pashinyan referred to the recording published by Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan during the election campaign in Armenia’s Lori Province, in the town of Spitak. “As much as I followed the public response, the people are a bit confused – they say – we don’t understand, Serzh Sargsyan wanted to harm or do a favor. What Serzh Sargsyan published fully substantiates our positions,” he said. Pashinyan stressed that it did not happen in 2018 but much earlier. He stated that with the April war the “territories against nothing” resolution became more serious. “In 2018 we inherited the negotiation process in conditions when “territories against nothing” resolution was already on the table of negotiations. It is very important to note that the mediators and the international community we relied on for so many years put an issue before us – return the territories against nothing,” he said, adding that the mediators expressed the same position about the future developments and regulation ways as Azerbaijan did. Pashinyan also expressed confidence that everything could have been different if Armenia had an army with other weapons in 2016-2018. According to the PM candidate, this election is a unique opportunity for the Armenian people to assess the history of the past 30 years. He reminded that all the former leaders are participating in this election. Levon Ter-Petrosyan offered Nikol Pashinyan to publicize the recording of their conversation about Karabakh During a press conference, the first president of Armenia and the leader of the "Armenian National Congress" party, PM candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan commented on Nikol Pashinyan's statement that in 2018 he has told Pashinyan that he should hand over the lands. "You should ask not me, but Nikol Pashinyan. I was at his house, he has definitely recorded it, let him show it. I went there to tell him something. If you have followed my publications, I have always been concerned about the Karabakh issue, regardless of whether it was during the time of Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan, or Nikol Pashinyan. I told him the following: "Your first task should be to fix the legacy that you have received from Serzh Sargsyan in the Karabakh issue with a document". He asked "What document?" and I said, "I am dictating now, you should write a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, saying that you're demanding to present you the situation of the Karabakh settlement as of April 18 within two days". I told him why he needed to have it, that is after knowing what kind of legacy you have got, you will bring a better solution and that will be your honor, and if you bring a worse solution, that will be your disgrace, ” said Levon Ter-Petrosyan Ter-Petrosyan went on adding that Azerbaijan will always insist on the issue of territorial integrity. “I can’t say what impact this will have on the fate of Artsakh, because I don’t know the views of the representatives of Armenia, only Nikol Pashinyan knows that. Not only did we lose this war, but something worse happened. If because of Kocharyan's fault, Karabakh was excluded from the settlement process, then after this defeat Armenia has already been excluded as a party of the conflict, no one asks Armenia's opinion,” he said. Mihran Poghosyan disputes CEC decision on declaring his candidacy invalid Mihran Poghosyan, an MP candidate nominated by the "I Have Honor" ("Pativ Unem") alliance, filed a lawsuit against the Central Electoral Commission on June 8, 2021, on invalidating decision No. 129-A and recognizing him as a candidate registered as number 11 on the electoral list of the alliance. It should be reminded that at the June 8 extraordinary sitting, the CEC invalidated Mihran Poghosyan's registration. According to the commission, the candidate has not been a permanent resident of Armenia for the last four years, therefore has no right to be elected. Gagik Tsarukyan thinks Armenia and Russian should sign a new military-political document The leader of the "Prosperous Armenia" party, PM candidate Gagik Tsarukyan considers ensuring Armenia's security a priority issue, for which he thinks it's important to sign a new military-political document with Russia. Tsarukyan said this at a meeting with citizens in Tavush within the framework of the pre-election campaign. "There is no other solution, we must sign a new military-political document with our Russian friends. Armenian-Russian soldiers must keep the border together so that our people can be calm," Tsarukyan said. CEC invalidated the registration of the "Armenian Eagles" party Central Electoral Commission invalidated the registration of the electoral list of the "Armenian Eagles: United Armenia" party running in snap parliamentary elections. During the sitting, CEC Secretary Armen Smbatyan reported that today the CEC received an application from the party leader informing him of his withdrawal. 6 out of 7 CEC members participated in the sitting. With 6 votes in favor, the CEC decided to invalidate the party's registration. It should be reminded that on June 8, the party issued a statement demanding the cancellation of the snap parliamentary elections, the liberation of Armenia from the occupation of the Azerbaijani armed forces, and the holding of elections only after the restoration of Armenia's territorial integrity. CEC invalidated Tigran Arzakantsyan's registration The registration of Tigran Arzakantsyan, a candidate included in the Democratic Party of Armenia’s electoral list was discussed during the regular sitting of the RA Central Electoral Commission. As a result, a decision was made to reject Arzakantsyan’s registration because of the inaccuracies in the documents. Arzakantsyan's representative could not prove that Arzakantsyan has constantly lived in Armenia for the last 4 years. Freedom House called on Armenian political forces to refrain from using hate speech Freedom House, a human rights organization, has expressed concern over the use of hate speech and violence by politicians during the pre-election period in Armenia. The organization's statement notes that such actions contribute to the polarization of society and the spread of hate speech in a time when the country is in recovery from the war in Nagorno-Karabakh and is getting ready for historic parliamentary elections. "We urge all parties to refrain from such rhetoric and adhere to democratic norms of behavior during the election period," the statement notes. David Sanasaryan on debating with Nikol Pashinyan, Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan The leader of the "Sovereign Armenia" party, PM candidate Davit Sanasaryan commented on the topics of pre-electoral debates. "We receive offers of debates from different media. Let me say that having a debate with Nikol Pashinyan, Robert Kocharyan, and Serzh Sargsyan will make some sense. They must be held accountable for what they did and didn't do. While respecting most of the others, I don't really have anything for a debate,” Sanasaryan wrote on his Facebook page.

20:30 - 10 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [09.06.2021]

Read the daily news digest for June 8 here. Pashinyan announces his son is ready to go to Baku as a hostage, today they will officially apply to Baku "My son is ready to go to Baku as a hostage, today we will officially apply to Baku," Nikol Pashinyan said this today during a meeting with the Mets Mantash community of Shirak province. He reminded that yesterday he announced he's ready to give his son to the Azerbaijani side so that they return all the POWs instead. "I want you to get this correctly. Don't think this is the only direction, that it is a desperate move. A lot of intensive work is being done during this period," Pashinyan added. Armenia's Ombudsman concerned over the pre-election atmosphere Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan expressed deep concerns over the atmosphere during the election campaign, stating it further deepens the polarization in society and undermines the prospect of restoring solidarity in the country. “Candidates for prime minister from all political forces running in the elections should take into account that every word they use extends to their supporters, and then they insult each other with the same words. Those running for prime minister should be especially attentive to the words used and take into account all their figurative meanings. The real danger of such rhetoric is that it further deepens the existing tensions and poses a risk of being carried over into real life. It’s true that the acting prime minister of Armenia emphasized that it is not about physical revenge, but, obviously, it did not neutralize the dangerous impact of the mentioned. The monitoring of the Ombudsman’s Office revealed that in the social media platforms where materials with the headlines "civil revenge", "vendetta" and the like were spread, widespread insults, accusations and hate speech were recorded. These headlines confirm once again that the statements about non-physical revenge made no impact,” Tatoyan wrote. Serzh Sargsyan discloses an audio recording of Nikol Pashinyan During a meeting with citizens in the Gegharkunik region, Serzh Sargsyan released the promised recording of Nikol Pashinyan, where he speaks about the Karabakh talks, noting that Putin, Nazarbayev, and Lukashenko approached him in Sochi in May 2018, said that he had a great popular trust, and It is a historic chance to resolve the Karabakh issue. The Lavrov plan was proposed again, and Pashinyan noted that it is not a topic for discussion at all without clarifying the status of Artsakh. Then Nikol Pashinyan, in particular, says: "It was clear to me, my problem was clearly formulated here, that whatever egg you want to have, you have to jump over this conveyor, jump, appear somewhere else. It will be, sorry for my expression, by seeming a little crazy, it will seem a little inadequate, but it will be, we have to get out of that conveyor.” Earlier, Serzh Sargsyan gave Nikol Pashinyan 24 hours to prove his claim that he "lost army money in casinos," noting "I give 24 hours to that immoral person. Either he has to present a fact, or I will publish such facts about him and about his family that the society will spit on him.” Opposition leader Edmon Marukyan invites Nikol Pashinyan to a debate Leader of the opposition “Bright Armenia” party Edmon Marukyan invited Nikol Pashinyan to a debate. “Before the election campaign was launched, Nikol Pashinyan invited the former presidents of Armenia to a debate. He obviously found appropriate components for himself and invited them to a debate to talk about the past, but the presidents refused to debate with him. Today marks the third day of the election campaign, and they are debating over food, killing each other, trampling each other and are inviting each other to duels, but this has nothing to do with the past and present of Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan, I am inviting you to a debate to talk about the present and future. It’s clear that this debate won’t be the debate that you would like to have with the former presidents, but it’s the debate that citizens of Armenia want to listen to, and it has to do with the present and future. I’m ready to debate over these issues face to face and live at any television station. I’m waiting for Nikol Pashinyan’s response,” Marukyan said. The highlights of Arthur Vanetsyan’s interview with Vladimir Solovyov Former director of the National Security Service (NSS) and the PM candidate of the "I Have Honor" ("Pativ Unem") party Arthur Vanetsyan gave a live interview to Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian journalist and TV anchor. He talked about Armenia’s internal political situation, the Armenian-Russian relations, and, in particular, Russia's participation in the recent Artsakh war. Addressing Vanetsyan, Solovyov said that he had heard many demands from Russia, including from his Armenian friends, as to why Russia was not sending troops and why the CSTO agreement was not working. "But how? You did not recognize Karabakh, you did not say that Karabakh is part of Armenia. It is not under the auspices of the contract. What do you demand from Russia when the Armenian authorities did not find the strength to say what status Artsakh has, what status Nagorno Karabakh has?" Solovyov asked, to which Vanetsyan replied that the current authorities of Armenia did something wrong and that Artsakh should have been recognized on the 3rd or 4th day of the war. "Russia really saved Karabakh, Russia took an active part, but we need to understand why this happened. For three years, the new Armenian authorities have constantly damaged relations with Russia. Remember all the statements of the capitulator (referring to Nikol Pashinyan, whom the opposition calls this way), his populist team, you will understand what happened. I generally thought that Russia could do something completely different. Russia has clearly helped, Russia continues to help. Today people live in Karabakh and Artsakh, those people live under the auspices of Russian peacekeepers. We should not forget about that, " Vanetsyan said. MP Hamazasp Danielyan resigned Pursuant to Article 155, Part 1 of the National Assembly Rules of Procedure, Hamazasp Danielyan, a member of the "My Step" faction of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, resigned on June 9. The "5165" movement presented its election program The founding members of the "5165" movement and its leader Karin Tonoyan visited Vanadzor on the second day of the electoral campaign, on June 8, to present the citizens their pre-election program and the necessary actions for the building of a national state. According to the press service of the movement, the role and significance of education and the effective management of the state were discussed. They also referred to the constitutional issues of the Republic of Armenia, the diplomatic reasons for the defeat in Artsakh, the reforms in healthcare, the need for institutional reforms in the work with the Diaspora. "We will fight for Armenia until the end on our own. The most important thing for us is the security of Armenia, our dignity, which has been violated, but it must be restored. We need to show the world that defeat has not broken us, we are ready to fight, " said Karin Tonoyan, the leader of the "5165" movement.

20:14 - 09 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [08.06.2021]

Read the daily news digest for June 7 here. 10 political forces have issued a joint statement on the pre-election TV debates The "Citizen's Decision" party informs that as a result of the discussions initiated by them. 10 political forces have issued a joint statement on the pre-election TV debates initiated by Public Television of Armenia, noting that the election of the participants has been unfair. Those parties are "Liberal", "National Agenda", "Fair Armenia", "Sovereign Armenia", "Pan-Armenian National Statehood", "Our Home is Armenia", "United Homeland", "Shirinyan-Babajanyan" alliance of democrats and "Citizen’s Decision" social democratic party. The parties think that the organizers of the debates have adopted an unfair principle, as a result of which 13 parties participating in the elections were deprived of the opportunity to debate with any of the old parties and the people who are responsible for this situation in the country. They called on the organizers to review the principles of electing the participants and to organize the pre-election debate on a new, fair principle, otherwise, they will refuse to take part in it. CEC invalidated the registration of Mihran Poghosyan as an MP candidate The Central Electoral Commission invalidated the registration of Mihran Poghosyan, the former head of The Compulsory Enforcement Service of the Ministry of Justice, as a candidate for MP from the "I have Honor" ("Pativ unem") alliance. The CEC made the decision during the June 8 sitting. Before making the decision, CEC Chairman Tigran Mukuchyan presented the reasons in detail. Pashinyan vowed post-election vendettas “In 2018, after the revolution, I announced that there will be no vendettas, there will be no staff purges. Retrospectively, many of us are dissatisfied with that position, with that reality, but we have done what we owed to the people, ” Pashinyan said during a campaign trip to Aragatsotn province. Pashinyan went on promising a tough crackdown on heads of local communities and private entities who he claimed are forcing their subordinates to attend campaign rallies held by his political opponents.“I want to make it clear that after the elections there will be vendettas against those heads of communities and entities who are trying to coerce people,” he told supporters.“I’m not talking about physical violence. I’m talking about political and civil vendettas,” he added. Pashinyan did not name any individuals. Later, during the meeting with citizens in Aparan, Pashinyan mentioned that the statements about political vendettas had nothing to do with violence. "It is about the clarification of political positions, political mandate," Pashinyan said. According to him, people are dissatisfied with him for the “velvet” (referring to the Velvet Revolution, which took place in Armenia in 2018). Gagik Tsarukyan commented on a possible coalition with Pashinyan Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader of the "Prosperous Armenia" party, assured today that he keeps his word and that he will not form a coalition with Nikol Pashinyan after the elections. He said this during the party's campaign launched in Abovyan. "I'm only going with my team. In order to implement my plans, I need to have a large number of votes. I fought, I was the only person who said that 100% of the members of the government should resign, I got arrested. Tsarukyan has always kept and will keep his word until the end," he said. Nikol Pashinyan says he’s ready to give his son to the Azerbaijani side in exchange for POWs Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan talked about POWs during his electoral campaign. “We haven't had any POWs since 1994. I'm not saying there was no shooting, I'm not saying they did not try to sabotage, it all happened, but POWs? It is clear, isn't it, that if you are afraid to resist, they will come and do it. They did it, you see, it does not work through negotiations, so you should do it too. Take 10-20 POWs and exchange them. Let Pashinyan give his son to the Azerbaijani side and bring back 20-25 prisoners of war,” said Sargsyan. Later, in response to that, Nikol Pashinyan announced that he’s ready to fulfill Sargsyan’s wish. “I officially declare that I’m giving my son in exchange for all the captives. And I authorize second and third presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan to negotiate over the deal," Pashinyan said, adding that he is waiting for their response. Robert Kocharyan met citizens in Jermuk and discussed the issue of Amuslar "If Jermuk ceases to be a resort town with the exploitation of Amulsar, then it should not be exploited". The leader of the "Armenia" alliance, Armenia's second president Robert Kocharyan stated this during a meeting with the residents of Jermuk, answering the questions on Amulsar. "I am surprised by the discussions about the exploitation of the mine, as a result of which an incomprehensible situation is created. Certainty and predictability: This is the cornerstone of an investment policy," Kocharyan said. He added that he was not well informed of the problem, as most of the documents were not available to anyone. "I can say one thing - if the impact will be negative, the mine should not be exploited," Kocharyan stressed. The Prosecutor's Office received 51 alerts-reports of electoral criminal offenses, materials are being prepared on 8 cases Public Relations Department of the Prosecutor's Office announced that as of June 7, the RA General Prosecutor's Office received and investigated a total of 51 reports on alleged electoral violations. 11 of them are mass media publications, 24 - posts made by citizens on social media, 13 - reports, applications submitted by individuals, 2 - data received by a police officer, and 3 reports created by the RA Prosecutor General's Office based on the hotline calls. “9 out of the 53 reports mentioned were instructed to prepare materials in accordance with Articles 180-181 of the RA Criminal Procedure Code in order to check the sufficiency of the grounds for initiating a criminal case, for 1 of which it has been decided to reject the initiation of a criminal case, and 8 are in the process of preparing materials,” the statement of the Prosecutor's Office notes.

20:04 - 08 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [07.06.2021]

Read the daily news digest for June 6 here. The pre-election campaign kicks off in Armenia The campaign for snap parliamentary elections in Armenia officially kicks off today. It will last until June 18. The snap parliamentary elections will take place on June 20. A total of 22 political parties and 4 alliances are running in the elections. Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan leads the list of the "Armenian National Congress" party, the second president Robert Kocharyan is the first on the list of the "Armenia" alliance, the prime minister Nikol Pashinyan leads the list of the "Civil Contract" party. The third president Serzh Sarkissian is not presented in the party lists, but the Republican Party, of which he is the leader, is participating in the elections in the "I have Honor" alliance, and Sarkissian himself is actively participating in the campaign. Central Electoral Commission calls for strict adherence to Electoral Code The Central Electoral Commission has called on all participants in the electoral process to strictly adhere to the requirements of the RA Electoral Code. “The pre-election campaign for the June 20, 2021 snap parliamentary elections kicks off today. Wishing everyone an effective campaign, we call on all parties (party alliances), voters, and all participants in the electoral process to strictly adhere to the requirements of the RA Electoral Code. In public speeches, in any speech, on social media, in political or campaign events, exclude insult, hatred, sowing of enmity, words of violence or hatred and propaganda,” the Commission said in a statement. Nikol Pashinyan to be on holiday from June 7-18 Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will be on holiday from June 7-18 inclusive, e-gov.am informs. According to the decision, acting vice PM Tigran Avinyan will implement PM’s functions during this period. It should be reminded that the campaign for the snap parliamentary elections has started today. Armenian Public TV's pre-electoral debates kick off tomorrow Within the framework of the snap parliamentary elections, the Public Television of Armenia has initiated TV debates entitled "Armenia Votes", to which representatives of all 26 political forces participating in the elections will be invited. Candidates will have the opportunity to present their election programs and position on key issues․ The TV debates will take place in the main hall of the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex, where the largest Public TV pavilion was built, specially designed for filming the pre-election debates of the 2021 parliamentary elections. The debates will be broadcast on June 8, 11, 16, and 17 at 22:00. “Republic” party doesn’t exclude cooperation with any political force During the war, there is only an external enemy for the “Republic" (“Hanrapetutyun”) party, it has no internal enemy. The leader of the "Republic" party Aram Sargsyan said this in a conversation with reporters on June 7, answering the question of who they are going to cooperate with if elected."As a result of these elections, the formation of coalitions will be mandatory, it will depend on the number of MPs of the forces participating in the elections. Making predictions is difficult, it is complicated. There are situations when there is a war, when your enemy is on the border, in which case we do not rule out cooperation with anyone," said Sargsyan, adding that in non-war situations they will cooperate only with forces whose ideology is close to each other.To the question of whether the "Republic" ( “Hanrapetutyun”) can cooperate with the "Armenia" alliance led by Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan, Sargsyan found it difficult to answer but noted that in terms of ideology they have categorically opposite approaches and differences, and it will not be perceptible to the public. Serzh Sarkissian announces they will declare amnesty for all those who will stand with them from this moment "These elections are between the being of the state and its absence, between losing or not losing the homeland. Our task is to establish internal solidarity," Armenia’s third president Serzh Sarkissian told the citizens during the campaign of the "I have Honor" (“Pativ Unem”) alliance. “All those who will stand with us from this moment, and not from the moment when they feel our victory, we will declare an amnesty, because nothing is more important than the homeland. Otherwise, for me, they will remain deserters with all its consequences. By voting for this traitor, you agree to give up Artsakh, and later Syunik and you allow the war to continue,” added Sarkissian. Levon Ter-Petrosyan thinks Armenians don’t want to learn from the bitter experience of the last thirty years “These are not ordinary elections. The situation in Armenia is very explosive. So far, I anticipate that these elections will be the most disgraceful, the most dangerous elections in the history of Armenia,” the candidate of the "Armenian National Congress" Party for Prime Minister of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan said today. “The majority of our nation, the majority of all political parties haven’t yet understood that Armenia has no ally in the Karabakh issue. Now they are saying that if it’s not Russia, it will be the USA, it will be Iran. This means that we don’t want to learn from the bitter experience of the last thirty years,” Ter-Petrosyan added. Nikol Pashinyan is convinced on June 20 Armenian citizens will re-establish their power "The most important motivation of the "Civil Contract" party’s participation in the June 20 snap parliamentary elections is that the people do not lose their sense of being the owner of the country," Nikol Pashinyan, who is leading party’s electoral list, said during the meeting with the residents of Parakar community during the pre-election campaign. “We will not even say “people, vote for us”, we will say “people, vote for you", Pashinyan said. He added that he has revealed two positions during the campaign, that is there are political forces that announce they are coming to take power, and their party, which announces that people will decide.

20:58 - 07 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [06.06.2021]

“Bright Armenia” leader Edmon Marukyan is concerned that Armenia is on the verge of a civil war Prior to the snap parliamentary elections on June 20, the situation of the pre-election power struggle will intensify so much that we can almost predict that we are on the verge of a civil war. Edmon Marukyan, chairman of the opposition “Bright Armenia” Party and head of its parliamentary faction, said this during the party’s press conference today. Marukyan stressed that if the election campaign of the ruling party and the former authorities continues in this spirit, it will be impossible to avoid clashes. According to him, the political arena in Armenia is arranged in such a way that the “Bright Armenia” Party is a political force that has no enemies. "We will impose internal political peace on these irreconcilable parties because they will not find common ground with each other, they will not spare any resources to destroy each other and as a result, they will destroy all of us. In fact, we have witnessed such a battle. We are not saying, give us a vote so that we will come to power; we are saying, authorize us to bring peace to the two conflicting forces, which are obsessed with destroying each other. There has always been irreconcilability, opposition struggle, movements inside the country, but at that time there were different conditions. When we were protesting at that time, the enemy was not in Syunik or Gegharkunik region with an army of a thousand, the enemy was not planning to get a corridor in Zangezur. It was bad then that there was no unification, but now we need to realize that something has changed in our lives," Marukyan said. Robert Kocharyan claims Karabakh was left out of the talks before he became a president Armenia’s second president and the first member of the "Armenia" alliance Robert Kocharyan referred to the issue of leaving Artsakh out of the talks. "I have been the President of Armenia since 1998. There has been no negotiation process since the Lisbon Summit in December 1996. I was elected President of the Republic of Armenia in February 1998, but I came to the office in April. Before that, intensive negotiations have taken place for about 1.5 years between the Advisor to the President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev Vafa Guluzade and Zhirayr Liparityan, Advisor to the First President of Armenia. Karabakh did not take part in those talks. In January 1997, when Zhirayr Liparityan left the office, he gave a press conference and announced that they started this process with Vafa Guluzade, thinking that they would help speed up the process, but the opposite happened․ The one who started and continued this process without Karabakh admitted his mistake. If needed, we can publish those facts once again," Robert Kocharyan said. "Sovereign Armenia" party finds the format of the "Armenia chooses" TV debate unacceptable The "Sovereign Armenia" party has issued a statement, which we present below: “Ahead of the 2021 snap parliamentary elections, Public Television of Armenia and The Institute for National Democracy (NDI) are launching four televised debates entitled "Armenia Chooses", where 26 political forces will present their programs and visions. It should be noted that the organizers have divided the TV debates of the first numbers of 26 political forces into two groups, where in the first group Nikol Pashinyan will have to debate with the representatives of the previous authorities and with the leaders of the parties registered before 2018, thus having a tangible impact on the election results. It is unacceptable for the "Sovereign Armenia" party to organize a televised debate on this principle, as the maintenance of equal competition conditions is violated, the forces with great media and financial capabilities are given an advantage. "We call on the organizers to change the sequence of the participation of the first numbers of the political forces and the order of their election prior to the “Armenia chooses" TV debate, which is to be held on June 16th. Otherwise, we consider it inexpedient to participate in that format. Members of the “Citizen's Decision” party think the format of the TV debates is unfair Mikayel Nahapetyan, a member of the “Citizen's Decision” party commented on upcoming pre-election debates on Public Television of Armenia. "You all saw that during the time when the decision was to be made as to who will debate with whom, Nikol Pashinyan publicly confidently stated that he is waiting for certain people on Public Television of Armenia and that he should debate with them. Pashinyan ordered that those people should be in his group, after which the question arose as to what principle should be chosen for those people to get into the same group," said Mikayel Nahapetyan and added that as a result a disgraceful and unfair method was chosen. "It was decided that the parties that had been registered for a long time, would be in one league, and the newer registered parties should be in another one. But then a second principle has been set that when it comes to alliances, not the date of the registration of the alliance is taken into account, but the oldest of the parties in the alliance. This has solved the issue that Nikol Pashinyan will be able to debate with the people he considers more suitable opponents," Nahapetyan mentioned. According to him, there are now 13 political forces that have no opportunity to debate with any of the governments that have put Armenia in this situation. In other words, no new political force should have a chance. This is an extremely insulting, contemptuous, unfair format and attitude for all new political forces, ” he said. Mikayel Nahapetyan also expressed the position of their party, which is that the "Citizen's decision" does not see any meaning in participating in the debate in this logic. The "Civil Contract" published the message of the RA Prime Minister candidate Nikol Pashinyan Prior to snap parliamentary elections, the ruling party of Armenia published the message of its candidate Nikol Pashinyan. Read the highlights of the message below: "They are trying to convince you that you have made a mistake, thinking that you can be decisive in your homeland, in your state. They are trying to convince you that time has shown the opposite, that you must either be submissive in your homeland or lose your homeland. And I turn to you with the conviction that the truth is just the opposite. For many years we tolerated many things for the sake of the homeland, and as a result, it turned out that we tolerated the destruction of the homeland. Now you have to choose between obeying to time or obeying time to you. I want you to obey the time to you because the time that was not submissive to you yesterday is the key reason for our losses today. Our bitterness today has accumulated yesterday. Remember how you lived for many years with the conviction that "there is no future in this country"? And while you were changing your mind, the biggest disaster happened and you started thinking again that there is no future. But today was the future of yesterday. Tomorrow is the future of today, and it will come if you decide that it exists, because you should not lose the ability to dream about the future, to turn the future into daily work”. Mikayel Minasyan shares his thoughts on snap parliamentary elections In a public post on Facebook Armenia's former ambassador to the Holy See, Mikayel Minasyan referred to the upcoming snap parliamentary elections. “Arman Tatoyan is not just the ombudsman of Armenia, nor the conscience of the country. He is the only working official in the country, the only working circle. A person who replaces the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Emergency Situations, the Public Television of Armenia, and even the society. He works instead of all the people who, ex officio or instinctively, should have at least verbally reacted to the growing security threats in Armenia every day, but are silent, under the "high umbrella" of public indifference. In exactly two weeks it will be the most conscious election in Armenia. There has never been such a thing in the history of Armenia. Everyone knows everything about all the favorites. Everyone's path is clear, the shortcomings and omissions are obvious. And all those who declare that they are disappointed and will not vote, I hope, one day the bodies of their relatives will not be found in the basement floor after 7 months. Go, choose according to reality, know that your inner rebellion against choosing anyone is in favor of Nikol,” Minasyan wrote.

20:22 - 06 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [05.06.2021]

The GALLUP International presented the ratings of political parties before the Parliamentary electionsThe GALLUP International Association presented the current ratings of political parties and alliances, and the public opinion on the snap elections. According to the results of the polls conducted from May 31 to June 5, when asked which party or alliance they would vote for if snap parliamentary elections were held this Sunday, 22.4% of respondents answered in favor of the "Civil Contract" party, 20.6% - in favor of the "Armenia" alliance, 4.2% - "Prosperous Armenia" party, 3.9% in favor of “I Have Honor” ("Pativ unem" ) alliance, 2.9% in favor of "Bright Armenia" party and 2.1% in favor of "Republic" party. “Shirinyan-Babajanyan” Alliance of Democrats held its first rally The first rally of the “Shirinyan-Babajanyan” Alliance of Democrats took place today in Yerevan. Alliance member Levon Shirinyan noted: "We have brought an alliance where there is consensus and harmonization of interests in terms of changing the life of Armenia and restoring its place in the world. In this sense, we exclude, absolutely reject the theft, the cooperation and the image spread by the media that the Armenia-killing alliance of the theft will win. It will not win. I call on the Armenians to make every effort․ "Armenia" alliance will not pass․ It has no place in the Parliament. It will get a place when it goes through purgatory and confesses its sins.” Robert Kocharyan met with citizens in Yerevan Armenia’s Second President, the leader of the "Armenia" alliance Robert Kocharyan and the representative of the Supreme Body of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation “Dashnaktsutyun” Ishkhan Saghatelyan met today with the citizens of Kanaker-Zeytun and Nor-Nork administrative districts. "During my previous two election campaigns, I have not seen such a reaction of people, such energy, but at the same time, such a deep concern," said Robert Kocharyan, adding that the difference between the meetings was that at that time there were just presidential elections and not the issue of the existence of the country. “Our team is trying to spread that optimism as much as possible so that people understand who is able to get the country out of this situation," Kocharyan added. Armenia’s ruling party presented its pre-election program The "Civil Contract" party presented its pre-election program during the fundraising evening. The program consists of 6 sections: "Security and Foreign Policy", "Economy", "Human Capital Development", "Law and Justice", "Institutional Development", "Environmental protection and Sustainable Natural Resource Management". Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan was present at the ceremony with his wife Anna Hakobyan, along with Parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan and his spouse Gohar Abajyan. “National-Democratic Pole” party published its pre-election program The “National-Democratic Pole” party has published its pre-election program. One of the strategic priorities included in the program is the establishment of a qualitatively new defense system with the support of the United States, France and other future allies, the demilitarization of Nakhchivan, the construction of a new nuclear power plant, the construction of a large-capacity Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, etc. Central Electoral Commission held an extraordinary sitting RA Central Electoral Commission held another extraordinary sitting today. The applications for self-withdrawal of the candidates registered for the special parliamentary elections and other issues were discussed at the sitting. The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) revoked the registration of Astghik Avetisyan from the “Bright Armenia” Party, Hayk Melik-Adamyan from the Democratic Party of Armenia, Stepan Mantaryan and Levon Levonyan from the “Civil Contract” Party. The commission rejected Astghik Ghazaryan's application for self-withdrawal from the “Zartonk” National Christian Party, as the applicant was not present at the session and hadn’t submitted a notarization certifying it. It should be noted that the MP candidates can submit applications for self-withdrawal to the CEC until June 10.

17:04 - 05 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [04.06.2021]

How much does it cost to hold an election? The chairman of the Central Electoral Commission announced for the first time today about the expenses during the snap elections. Tigran Mukuchyan stated that 460 million AMD will be spent on printing ballots. In case of participation of 26 parties, about 70 million ballots will be printed. Violations of election regulations Today the "Independent Observer" bloc reported to the RA Prosecutor General regarding the case of forgery of a document by Mihran Poghosyan (or his representative). To obtain a reference confirming that he was permanently living in Armenia, Mihran Poghosyan falsified a diploma "0089-ОД" of Moscow Polytechnic University and a fake document "No. 1427" of the same university. Another case was related to suspicions of electoral bribery. A video was spread on social networks according to which the "Prosperous Armenia" party is allegedly distributing election bribes. The RA Prosecutor's Office has sent the video to the RA Police for research. The court session on Robert Kocharyan vs CEC started today. The CEC representatives were absent. Tigran Mukuchyan, the head of CEC, noted that the reason for missing the court session was overloaded employment. The comparative social classification of candidates based on their current occupations Independent media tried to analyze and present socio-economic characteristics of the parties' and blocs' candidates running in the parliamentary elections. Below are a few of them: There are 156 MP candidates in the "Armenia" bloc, 11 of them are state employees, the majority are heads of local autonomous bodies. There are 22 businessmen and 24 unemployed. In the 161-member list of the "Civil Contract" there are 60 MPs, 71 state employees, 15 unemployed and 4 businessmen. There are 230 candidates in the "I have the honor" bloc's list, 25 of them are from the business sphere. The total number of unemployed is 83. There is one MP on the list, Taguhi Tovmasyan, who left "My Step" faction. 14 are state employees. "Bright Armenia" has 107 candidates. 20 of them are unemployed, 13 of them are Members of the National Assembly and 7 are state employees. There are at least 20 people from the business sphere. The Armenian National Congress has 101 candidates. 35 of the candidates are unemployed, 13 are from the business sphere. There is one civil servant on the list. There are 17 unemployed in the electoral list of "Citizen's Decision" party. 3 people are from the business sphere and 1 candidate is from the state system. The party has 84 candidates. The "I have the honor" [Pativ unem] bloc is the only one among political forces participating in the election, which has nominated the most candidates. It has 230 candidates. The activity of the pre-election campaign is becoming intense day by day Almost all of the leaders of the parties participating in snap elections are actively holding meetings in Yerevan and in the regions. Today the prime minister and the leader of Civic Contract party Nikol Pashinyan has had several meetings in the Ararat Region. He uncovered for the public some piece of the pre-election program. The complete program will be presented after the official date of the election campaign. Today at the RPA headquarters, Serzh Sargsyan, the leader of the party and the third President of the Republic of Armenia, received the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Armenia Nicholas Schmermers. Serzh Sargsyan presented in detail the main directions of the pre-election program of the "I have the honor" [Pativ unem] bloc. The "I have the honor" bloc is the first among the political forces of Armenia to organize a visit to Artsakh at the level of the candidate for prime minister. It is a clear message to our brothers and sisters in Artsakh that Artsakh cannot be left alone by Armenia.

16:50 - 04 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [03.06.2021]

Public awareness on election regulations The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) and the Police of RA are actively working with media to raise the awareness of citizens about snap election processes and possible steps in case of facing technical in-corrections in the voters' lists. In this framework CEC made an additional statement: In case of inaccuracies in the voters’ list citizens can apply for corrections until June 10, 2021. The number of the hotline is 011-37-02-36. Within 5 days after receiving the application, but no later than June 11, Police will make the necessary changes or corrections to the voter list. The Central Electoral Commission also informs, that if a person has only one passport with expired validity, then they can participate in the voting with that document. But if a person has three valid documents: an old type of Passport, a biometric passport and an identification card, they can vote with any of them. Officially set areas for posting campaign texts in Yerevan The Yerevan municipality is trying to regulate public spaces where placing election posters and papers is officially allowed. They made a statement calling political parties to place campaign posters only in specially designated areas (not to paste posters on the walls or columns of residential or other buildings). According to the officially published list, there are in total 336 free places in Yerevan to paste campaign posters. Opinions around the election inside and outside of Armenia The French-based political analyst Kayts Minasyan made a comment on Nikol Pashinanyan's visit to France. He is sure that one of the reasons for Pashinyan's visit to France was for Macron to consciously enter the Armenian election campaign. Garegin Miskaryan, a member of the executive body of the "Citizen's Decision" Party, in a talk with media said that the forces that have ever ruled in the Republic of Armenia have proven to be ineffective in governing because of the path they have chosen. He states that unprepared snap elections will not change the quality of the political field. Aram Vardanyan, the representative of the "Armenia" bloc, stated that they have information that some foreign-funded NGOs will start black propaganda against the "Armenia" bloc, as well as will spread false accusations. Also at the meeting in Tavush Robert Kocharyan stated that Tavush is a special target for their political team. They must win the elections in the Tavush region and especially in Ijevan.

16:59 - 03 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [02.06.2021]

Recently prime minister Nikol Pashinyan has publicly invited Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Robert Kocharyan to hold a live stream debate. The spokesman of the first president Levon Ter- Petrosyan has already rejected the suggestion. Today Ishkhan Saghatelyan, coordinator of the "Armenia '' bloc, has also rejected the offer of live stream debate with Nikol Pashinyan. Also, Robert Kocharyan, the leader of the "Armenia" bloc, has filed a lawsuit against the Central Electoral Commission in an administrative court. Meanwhile, according to Zhirayr Sefilyan, the leader of the National Democratic Pole Party, the second president Robert Kocharyan will turn the country into chaos: He thinks that the murders in the last days are not accidental․ How gender-balanced and gender-sensitive are the political parties 36․3% of the total number of candidates for MP for snap elections are women. There are only 2 parties led by women. Lusine Avagyan is the leader of the electoral list of the "United Homeland" party and Karine Tonoyan is the leader of the electoral list of the "5165 National Conservative Movement". Fundraisings for campaigns To succeed in the election campaign and break the information blockade, Armenian National Congress asked citizens for financial support. It will allow ANC to actively buy TV and radio broadcasting time for campaigns, as well as to use social network promotions effectively. Official and Non-governmental monitoring initiatives of the snap election Preliminary voter lists for the June 20 snap elections have been published on May 31, 2021. The lists are publicly hung in polling stations and are available on the CEC official website. The lists are published on the website of the RA Police for download. 24 alerts-reports on electoral law violations were received in The RA General Prosecutor's Office. A delegation of the CIS Inter-parliamentary Assembly has been invited by the Speaker of the National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan as observers in snap elections. Igor Komarovsky has been appointed as a Coordinator of the Monitoring Group.

17:21 - 02 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [01.06.2021]

Formal and informal initiatives are launched to organize snap election monitoring. In particular, a hotline has been set up at the Prosecutor General's Office to respond to urgent issues related to the election process. The number of the hotline is (010) 511-999. It is open from Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on the day of the elections for 24 hours. Aside from NGO observers group, the opposition also established the "Election Monitoring Committee". The members of the committee are Ruben Melikyan, human rights activist, Naira Zohrabyan, independent MP, Narek Samsonyan, President of "Civic Consciousness" NGO, Aghasi Yenokyan, Head of "Media Defender" initiative, and lawyer Anahit Sargsyan. As for international official organizations, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) reported, that the observation mission of the CIS Executive Committee had started its monitoring work of the snap parliamentary elections. The head of the CIS observation group is Ilhom Nematov. He is the Deputy Chairman-Executive Secretary of the CIS Executive Committee. 70 observers will be included in the CIS observation mission group. Election for hope or a failure? The Citizen's Decision Party has announced that they are going to the elections to create the possibility for citizens who have not lost hope and want to re-establish their rights to their own country, to have the opportunity to vote and change the situation. Today CD has published the complete list of candidates for the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, reminding that the party's ballot is number 17. Suren Sahakyan, Gor Hakobyan and Irina Hovhannisyan are in the top three of the CD’s electoral list. Nikol Pashinyan publicly suggested to the first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan to hold a live debate. Today Arman Musinyan, spokesman of the ex-president, said that Levon Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to talk about with Nikol Pashinyan. Davit Khazhakyan, a candidate for MP and a member of the governing council of the "Bright Armenia" party, says that the party rejects the possibility of a coalition with both the Current government and Robert Kocharyan's Alliance.

17:15 - 01 June, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [31.05.2021]

Officially registered parties and blocs May 31 was the deadline for the registration of parties and blocs for snap elections. Today, the police announced the total number of voters included in the register, thus, 2,581,093 citizens are included in the official voter register. The registration of the electoral lists of parties and alliances was finished today at 18:00 Yerevan time. The election campaign starts on June 7 and ends on June 18. There are discussions in media that some parties have already started their campaigns before officially announced day. Aramayis Avetisyan, a candidate of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) and a member of the ANC board, states that ANC is an exception and will start its campaign within the timeframe set by law. Intensive preparations are underway. However, according to experts the launch of the election campaign before the official date is not a violation of the law. Vahagn Hovakimyan, a member of the "My Step" faction, reports that the Civil Contract party is registered for the snap parliamentary election. The registration of David Alexander Grigoryan, a candidate from the "Fair Armenia" party’s electoral list, was rejected by Central Electoral Commission (CEC). Today, CEC announced the sequence of the numbering of parties and blocs for snap elections: Fair Armenia Party Armenian National Congress Party Civil Contract Party Zartonq (Awakening) National Christian Party Freedom (Azatutyun) Party “I Have the Honor” Alliance United Homeland Party Pan-Armenian National Statehood Party Bright Armenia Party Our Home is Armenia Party Republic (Hanrapetutyun) Party Armenian Homeland Party Free Homeland Alliance Prosperous Armenia Party Democratic Party of Armenia 5165 National Conservative Movement Party Citizen’s Decision Social-Democratic Party “Shirinyan-Babajanyan Alliance of Democrats National Agenda Party Rise (Ascent) Party Liberal Party Armenian Eagles United Armenia Party European Party of Armenia “Armenia” (Hayastan) alliance National-Democratic Pole Party Sovereign Armenia Party Aramayis Avetisyan, a candidate of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) and a member of the ANC board, is sure if Nikol Pashinyan had not put his candidacy in this election, people would have formed a new configuration in the political field. In that sense, Robert Kocharyan would not have a chance to be elected. Therefore, the absence of Nikol Pashinyan would create an opportunity for citizens to make the right, rational, democratic choice․ What kind of new agenda will parties and blocs initiate in case if they win elections? Arthur Vanetsyan states that in case of victory their bloc will initiate legislative changes. In particular, candidates for high government positions must undergo a medical examination for alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental disorders. The chairman of the "Fair Armenia" Party Norayr Norikyan states that in case of success in the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, they will initiate a referendum to shift into a semi-presidential governing system.

17:20 - 31 May, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [28.05.2021]

17:16 - 28 May, 2021

#armvote2021. Daily News Digest [25.05.2021]

Will the upcoming parliament include business? Several leaders of political parties and coalitions talked to journalists about the upcoming elections to the National Assembly. Edmon Marukyan, the head of the Bright Armenia Party, referred to info shared in media about the involvement of two businessmen - Khachatur Sukiasyan and Gurgen Arsenyan - in the lists of the candidates to NA from the Civil Contract Party. He is sure that it is a violation of the promise made by the current government. The leader of the Bright Armenia Party excludes that businessmen may be included in their party’s list. Responding to this issue, Hrachya Hakobyan, a member of the "My Step" parliamentary faction, finds it difficult to say whether Khachatur Sukiasyan, (the founder of "Sil Concern" LLC and the member of the proportional list of the Civil Contract Pary), is a businessman or a politician. However, this is not the only case in today’s political life. It was announced, that Tigran Arzakantsyan, who has been doing business in Russia in recent years, has become more active in Armenia before the NA elections, as he sought a party to run in the snap parliamentary elections. His offer of cooperation with the "Heritage" party did not work out, so he stopped his focus on the Democratic Party of Armenia. Recently it became known that Arzakantsyan is in the first place in the electoral list of that party, Aram Sargsyan, the chairman of the party, is in the second in the list, Narine Dilbaryan who left the "Heritage" party is in the third place. Conservative parties in the alliance The "Hayastan" bloc which participates in the snap parliamentary elections made a program of development of the country for the next five years. It will be presented to the public during the upcoming campaign. “And, yes, we will talk about the guaranteed future, the vision of Armenia's development”, - said the representative of the ARF Supreme Body Ishkhan Saghatelyan. The leader of the bloc Robert Kocharyan stressed that if the government uses disproportionate administrative resources and tries to falsify the elections in various ways, there will be post-election processes with unpredictable consequences. Also, another alliance will appear that will take part in the upcoming elections. Samvel Babayan, the former head of the ArtsakhState Security Council, shared information that he has to enter politics. He clarified his decision with the urge to act as a restraining factor “with my political team, to balance and stabilize the extremist forces, to prevent them from making fatal mistakes, to force them to take into account the real agenda, the external dangers”. In his opinion now is the time for all those who are not indifferent, who realize the current serious challenges and are ready to act for the interest of the nation. “ I will run as a candidate for the Liberal [Azatakan] Party. We are aware of the challenges that Armenia faces, we know the ways to solve them”, said Samvel Babayan. Several political parties announced their list of candidates for upcoming elections to the National Assembly Hayk Sukiasyan, deputy chairman of the Christian-Democratic Party, has been appointed as the head of the Shirinyan-Babajanyan Alliance of Democrats. The electoral list of the Republic [Hanrapetutyun] Party will be headed by Aram Sargsyan, Artak Zeynalyan, and Ani Khachatryan. Edmon Marukyan, the leader of the Bright Armenia Party, said that the list of their faction is still drafting and it cannot be published now. He also emphasized that there are no surprises for the members, they will use only internal resources of the faction.

16:53 - 25 May, 2021