All issues related to Ombudsman are solved by HHK and Serzh Sargsyan (video)
All issues related to the Armenian Ombudsperson, including his/her appointment and resignation, were solved and are still solved by the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) headed by Serzh Sagsyan, opposition lawmaker Levon Zurabyan said on Monday. Speaking about the changes made in the order of nomination of the next ombudsperson, Mr Zurabyan said everything is controlled by the HHK. “Therefore, the Armenian National Congress (HAK) has decided not to participate in the election of the Ombudsman,” the HAK representative said. Last week the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) issued a final report on the results of the December 6 constitutional referendum in Armenia. “The conduct of the referendum reflected the absence of meaningful actions over the previous three years to address prior OSCE/ODIHR recommendations to improve confidence and public trust in the electoral process,” the organization said. Mr Zurabyan says the OSCE/ODIHR has never made such a harsh statement in the history of independent Armenia, and it illegitimates the referendum. “This shows once again that we had a serious victory in terms of the referendum. We have shown the entire world that people massively went to the polls to say "no" while the electoral system ignored their will and, violating their rights, presented results that had nothing to do with the real vote,” he said. That is why the international community now demands that Armenian authorities change the Electoral Code. “Serzh Sargsyan dreamt that after ‘a smooth’ referendum the international community would not interfere and monitor the process of amending the Electoral Code. But as you see the international community has posed tough requirements and will strictly observe the 2017 parliamentary elections in Armenia. Thus, the next elections will be in the center of attention of the international community. Though we have not been able to register people’s formal victory [during the December 6 constitutional referendum], at least we have achieved two important things: we have been able to express our will and create a more rigorous background for the upcoming elections. Mr Zurabyan says it is time political forces and civil society united efforts and created a common platform for their demands and extorted all possible concessions from the authorities with the help of the international community.
