April 2, 2017 | 11:15

Observers of the Citizen Observer Initiative have identified 162 violations and irregularities during the preparation process prior to the opening of the polls, which opened at 8:15 a.m. Reports are still being verified.

The following violations have been checked out:

17 precinct election commissions have not begun work at the designated time;

15 violations of voting rooms’ arrangement protocols;

7 precinct commissions violated of lottery rules;

18 precincts had electronic machines malfunction;

2 precincts did not have voting lists posted near the entrance;

11 precincts had irregularities with voting booths;

18 precincts did not meet the required confidentiality procedures of the voting booths;

37 precincts were not made accessible for persons with disabilities;

1 precinct had its non-inflammable safety box was open;

1 precinct ballot box was not sealed properly;

1 precinct has openly displayed campaign material;

34 other violations were registered during process in this timeframe.

The Initiative’s observers have registered 25 violations in the log during the preparation of the polling stations.

The Violations’ Map presents violations by the Citizen Observer Initiative, Independent Observer Coalition of NGOs and Helsinki Committee of Armenia on Election.

Reported violations are currently being confirmed. More details will be provided by Citizen Observer Initiative during its Press Conference at 14:00, which will take place at Marriott Armenia Hotel.

The Initiative will regularly disseminate information via press release as well as provide data on its website, Facebook and Twitter platforms.

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The 2017 parliamentary election observation mission is made possible with funding from the European Union, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tbilisi.