Civil Society Institute, Free Forum for Civil Initiatives and the Armenian Committee of the Helsinki Citizens’s Assembly non governmental organizations joint the efforts to establish a Legal initiative: Elections 2008. The purpose of this initiative is to provide citizens with free legal advice and protection. From January 15 to March 15 will be functioning a free hotline 080-080-804. Any citizen, including observers, proxies, members of the electoral commissions may call to this hotline and receive an exhaustive respond concerning the elections and other issues of their concern.

On the voting day 40 legal assistance ambulance cars (rapid respond) will operate throughout the country. Each car will be provided with lawyer, civic activist, observer and possibly journalist. These rapid respond groups will receive calls through the hotline and will provide a protection of citizens directly on the sites.

Legal Initiative Elections 2008 is not the first initiative of the above mentioned
NGOs. During the Parliamentary Election in 2007 It was implemented the legal
Initiative - Elections 2007. 242 calls were received through the hotline, 113
out of which were received on the voting day. Half of the calls were coming from
marzes.

Members of the Legal Initiative-Elections 2008 if necessary are ready to protect
citizens’ rights on any degree of jurisdiction including the European Court of
Human Rights. The legal assistance is free within the frames of both initiatives
Legal Initiative- Elections 2007 and Legal Initiative-Elections 2008.

For more information about Legal Initiative- Elections 2007 and Legal
Initiative-Elections 2008 you please visit 
Hotline 2008
web-page.

NGO network of the LEGAL INITIATIVE-ELECTIONS 2008 does not join any political
power, does not have political preferences and is ready to provide its support
on the equal basis to any citizen of Armenia and any political power in
impartial, politically neutral and qualified manner.