Tuesday, 22 May 2007
RA Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan received the delegation of the International Mission of Election Observers led by Ambassador Boris Frlek. The head of delegation noted that his mission of observers had already published its preliminary findings on the parliamentary elections of May 12 and currently was working on the final document which, according to Boris Frlek, would feature the results of the monitoring performed, inclusive of the shortcomings revealed and the recommendations formulated for their elimination. "Through these elections, the Republic Armenia set forward new criteria for the forthcoming elections. It was a steady step forward. Steps follow each other and so on to make the process irreversible,"-Mr. Frlek said and expressed hope that this crucial to the strengthening of democracy in Armenia and to its people process would be continued and wound up.
Ambassador Frlek stressed that while Armenia honored the obligations assumed before the OSCE in terms of proper media coverage of pre-election campaigns, the freedom of the press and in a number of other directions, yet there were some shortfalls left associated with the applicable legal framework and, in general, with the ones revealed during this first trial of the reformed election code. They called for a thorough study and effective solutions. According to Mr. Frlek, the Republican Party of Armenia which had won a majority in the National Assembly could play an important role in this matter by proposing, if necessary, appropriate changes to the election code.
Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan thanked the mission of observers for impartial and objective assessment and noted that the authorities of Armenia and the RPA were pleased with the course of electoral processes and their outturns, considering at the same time that certain work had still to be done so as to bring the electoral process into full conformity with the international criteria. Mr. Sargsyan said, in particular: "We repeatedly stated our desire of achieving better standards in the organization of these elections, however, it would be risky for us to declare that they would meet the international standards in full, bearing on mind that addressing the existing shortfalls would take some time. I believe that we have carried out an important task and that new criteria have been established for future elections." The Prime Minister further told that after publication of the final report by the mission of observers, all the failures and recommendations specified therein would be examined in all detail. He emphasized that to ensure the effectiveness of remedial action, it was crucial for the report to go into the detail as much as possible . He singled out those three directions in need of utmost concentration: 1) betterment of the election code, 2) regulatory improvements, inclusive of the detailed account of eventual irregularities in the law etc., 3) technical assistance to electoral committees coupled with continued efforts for the training of their staff and the improvement of their professional skills.
The Prime Minister emphasized that a priority in this process was the systemized consideration of the irregularities revealed.
Answering Mr. Frlek's question on the plans of the RPA as to the cooperation with other political forces, Serzh Sargsyan reaffirmed RPA's openness to cooperation with all parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces in both the Government and the National Assembly in an effort to make up a government cabinet of higher public trust. The Prime Minister advised his guest that currently talks were underway in this direction.
At the end of the meeting, the head of the delegation of the International Mission of Observers said that they appreciated the approaches of the Prime Minister which were the evidence of his political will. Boris Frlek stressed that the problems mentioned by Armenia's Prime Minister would be incorporated in the final report of the mission of observers. Ambassador Frlek wished Armenia every success on its way to democracy and assured that their mission had the goal of rendering maximum assistance in this process.
