Observer group reports technical and procedural violations in Vagharshapat elections

The International Center on Development of Parliamentarism recorded a series of technical and procedural violations during Sunday’s municipal elections in Vagharshapat, its head and legal expert Gohar Meloyan told reporters.

Meloyan said one polling station failed to maintain the mandatory overnight livestream, a key transparency requirement. In another case, a voting booth was placed near a public water fountain, creating conditions in which passers-by could potentially see voters casting their ballots.

More serious concerns involved procedural breaches. At one polling station, a candidate from the ruling Civil Contract party was simultaneously serving as the party’s authorized representative.

Observers also documented instances of voter direction throughout the day, including reports of the same vehicle repeatedly transporting groups of voters to a polling station.

Despite the violations, Meloyan said the group’s assessment as of 4 p.m. was that the irregularities were not extensive enough to call the legitimacy of the vote into question. “All of the violations identified have been formally documented,” she noted.