ArmInfo. Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Piotr Switalski made a message on the eve of the upcoming parliamentary elections and gave six advises to Armenian voters.
"On the whole, EU wants and expects that the coming elections will be qualitatively better, more transparent and more democratic than the previous ones. I am convinced that voters play an important role in this process, since they have a crucial role in the successful conduct of elections. In this connection, I urge the Armenian voter to go to the elections and make choice, trust in the new technologies, not to succumb to the temptation of electoral bribes, not to allow themselves to be intimidated, report violations and be a supporter of peace processes", the Diplomat told reporters on March 24 in Yerevan at the opening of the exhibition dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.
At the same time, the ambassador reminded that EU provided more than 7 million EUR for the technological support of the polling stations (the installation of video cameras and the introduction of electronic voter identification systems). According to him, this step is one of the evidence that the EU attaches great importance to the successful holding of these elections. Switalski said that on March 25, systems for the identification of voters will be tested again. "We hope that everything will be successful and these funds will ensure the best level of electoral processes. These technological innovations should inspire confidence in the Armenian voter", the Ambassador said. At the same time, the European Diplomat said that EU also provided several hundred thousand EUR to involve local observers in the electoral processes. "And we are pleased to state that the main stakeholders are making every effort to ensure the presence of local voters at all polling stations. We managed to ensure their participation in 97% of polling stations. The presence of observers should also become a stimulating factor for increasing voters' confidence in the processes", said Switalski.
At the same time, he stressed that the European Union and the partner countries closely monitor the electoral processes in Armenia, all reports of violations and any manifestations of inappropriate behavior. In addition, according to the Diplomat, the European Union and all interested sides, including the observation missions of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the OSCE/ODIHR will take all necessary steps to properly respond to violations, especially with regard to the removal of ballots from non- voters from polling stations by eliminating electoral violations.
Answering to the question whether the EU will take any steps in case the elections fail to meet expectations, the Diplomat stressed that the European Union is working on the basis of a positive scenario. According to him, Brussels wants the democratic development of Armenia to take a new step after these elections.