2013 Elections. Voting right of a number of Citizens are violated in Armenia
10:35, February 13, 2013 | News | Electoral Rights
Civil society organizations in line with representatives from political parties involved in the electoral processes consider that the voting right of a number society groups are violated.
Today, Artur Sakunts, Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor voiced about the issue regarding the voting right violations of detainees, servicemen in the Armed Forces, and RA citizens residing abroad at a discussion held in Yerevan.
According to Sakunts, detainees and soldiers do not have access to the programs and booklets of all candidates, whereas, only the incumbent president from among all candidates can actually go to military units for pre-election campaign meetings and has a chance to talk with soldiers.
“But the Army elects not only the president, but also the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, so they should be able to learn about the programs of all potential candidates,” states Sakunts.
By referring to the issue of Armenian citizens residing abroad, who are not able to take part in the national elections (they have been ineligible to vote since 2003), Sakunts said that the state is obliged to reinstate their voting rights.
“It is said that those residing abroad mustn’t be eliminated from the electoral roll, because they still have a suffrage. But if they do have a voting right, then be so kind as to ensure their right to vote. Otherwise, it is illogical,” says Sakunts.
It should be noted that the opposition candidates have repeatedly raised the issue of eliminating the names of citizens permanently missing from the country from the voting lists. For years the Armenian Opposition has been insisting that the Government uses up to half a million votes to rig elections in favor of the Government’s candidate.
Whereas, Hovhannes Kocharyan, the head of the Passport and Visa Department of RA Police, who was also present at the discussion, noted that it was technically impossible to eliminate absent citizens’ data from the voter lists (as such data can be obtained only by means of a personal search engine), besides, because Armenia’s legislation prohibits the publication of such data.
“It is a totally ungrounded and illegal demand addressed to the Police: personal data can be disseminated only if the law authorizes a state body and an official to do so. Otherwise, it is unlawful to disseminate such information, as it constitutes an offense,” said Kocharyan.
“I wonder how many voters in RA would want their data on missing from Armenia to become a public property. Isn’t it an instance of prosecution against a person?” stated Kocharyan.