“During
2013 elections, we received significantly fewer calls on our hot line concerning
election violations than during 2008 elections”, said Artak Kirakosyan, Board
Chair of Civil Society Institute at a meeting with journalists on 21 February
2013.

“The elections went in a quieter environment,
there was less pressure in comparison to the elections in 2007-2008, no cases
of evident violence were registered, which is a positive sign. But it remains
to be seen what would happen to the members of the elections commissions and settlements,
where the candidate in power has lost”- concluded Artak Kirakosyan his
observations regarding the election process.

He emphasized that it was difficult to evaluate
the whole process of elections, because the organization had had a limited
number of observers and mainly implemented the mission of “ambulances”
providing legal aid; therefore, he could talk only about the results of the
legal initiative “Elections 2013”, carried out by them.

On the Election day the Civil Society Institute's
observers moved in 30 cars across all marzes of Armenia, visiting more than 350
polling stations. The hot line number 080 080 804 was operated to provide legal
assistance, and the observers responded to some of the calls by visiting the polling
stations where an alleged violation had occurred.

In total, 54 calls were received on the hot line.
Additional 60 reports of violations were communicated by the CSI observers.

According to Mr Kirakosyan, the registered calls
mainly related to instructions to voters for whom to vote by members of
electoral commissions and candidates' proxies, overcrowding and gatherings of
people, assistance to voters at the booths without proper registration, cases
of open voting and double voting, presense of persons not authorized to be at a
polling station, vanishing of stamps, etc. 

“It is important that the law enforcement agencies
do not put the burden to prove violations on us, and do not consider false
calls as a false reporting in a criminal sense. As it is possible that
observers also could make mistakes, and it is the duty of police to check and verify
information. If the burden of proof is put on observers or proxies, then fear
environment would arise, people would refrain from reporting on violations”,
says the CSI Board Chair.

More detailed information about the registered
calls on election violations in the framework of the legal initiative
“Elections 2013” can be found here.