Election Results Annulled in the Village of Parpi
YEREVAN (A.W.)—Parliamentary election results for the village of Parpi in Armenia’s Aregatsotn province have been annulled due to fraud.
Officials in Yerevan stated that the regional election commission declared the results null and void on April 7 following a complaint filed by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). The ARF’s report alleged violations of the secrecy of the ballot and intimidation of local voters.
On April 2, ARF Supreme Council Representative Aghvan Vardanyan discussed the situation at Parpi at a briefing, pointing out that the situation in Parpi and other villages close by was very chaotic.
Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor General said that the local election commission reviewed the video of the voting in Parpi and confirmed the allegations. A criminal case was launched to investigate further into the violations. No one has yet been charged or detained.
Vardanyan stated that in many cases, the work of the police and members of the CEC is being done by journalists. The violations reported by the ARF show that the police failed to fulfill their duties during the election in Parpi.
The violations in Parpi did not prevent the Central Election Commission (CEC) from approving the final election results on April 9. CEC spokeswoman Hermine Harutyunyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that the situation in Parpi could not have affected the outcome of the election. She added that there will not be any revoting.
