Violations reported in more than 25% of Armenian polling stations

Election observers in Armenia reported procedural and technical irregularities in more than one-quarter of monitored polling stations during Sunday’s voting, while over 40% of stations were assessed as inaccessible, according to preliminary findings released by the Independent Observer mission.

Speaking at a briefing, Daniel Ioannisyan, programs coordinator for the Union of Informed Citizens NGO, said observers had visited approximately 1,420 polling stations, representing about 71% of all voting locations nationwide.

According to the coalition’s data, violations were documented in 387 polling stations, or 27% of those monitored. The reported incidents included procedural breaches (5.5%), violations related to ballot secrecy (4.5%), and instances of voter oversight or perceived monitoring (approximately 4%).

“These cases contribute to creating a psychological impression among voters that their choices are being monitored,” Ioannisyan said.

The observer mission reported that roughly 20% of documented violations were committed by members of precinct election commissions, while another 20% involved party proxies.

By political affiliation, 41% of recorded violations were attributed to representatives of the Hayastan alliance, while 26% were linked to members or proxies of the ruling Civil Contract party.

The mission also highlighted technical malfunctions involving electronic voter registration devices. Observers reported cases in which machines produced damaged or crumpled receipts, as well as discrepancies between identification numbers printed by the devices and those listed in paper voter registers.

Ioannisyan said the issues resulted in the suspension of voting at 51 polling stations until 8:40 a.m., delaying the process by approximately 40 minutes. He argued that the technical failures should not have necessitated a halt in voting operations.

Additional concerns were raised regarding the preparedness of election commission members, maintenance of official logs and management of voter queues. The observer mission said a statistical analysis is underway to determine the factors contributing to congestion at polling stations.

Observers also documented repeated instances of campaign-related materials appearing inside polling locations. Party proxies were seen wearing clothing and accessories displaying political symbols, including T-shirts, hats and badges.

“When it comes to badges, we request that the commission chair intervene and have them removed. In most cases, they are removed,” Ioannisyan said.

The coalition further reported cases involving unauthorized individuals present at polling stations and instances where the number of proxies representing a single political force exceeded legal limits.