Supporters of the The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) march in Yerevan ahead of Armenia's parliamentary election on 2 April. (c) NurPhoto/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reserved.Last month, Armenia held its watershed parliamentary election, initiating the country’s transfer to a parliamentary form of government. The process will be completed after next year’s presidential vote, when the president’s post will become largely ceremonial, while parliament will form a government that will hold full executive powers.
An opposition party has unsuccessfully challenged the legitimacy of the elections in the Constitutional Court, and the newly elected parliament is set to convene on 18 May. So although the dust hasn’t fully settled yet on the post-election outcome, it’s a good time to take stock of the election itself.
The vote was well administered, but failed to bridge the gap in public confidence and trust in the electoral process. International observers, led by the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, said fundamental freedoms were generally respected in the process. However, they also noted that the elections “were tainted by credible information about vote-buying, and pressure on civil servants and employees of private companies.”
