Press Statement - December 9, 2018, 3:00 pm

Akanates Observation Mission December 9, 2018 Snap Parliamentary Elections

Election Day generally peaceful with 23 reported violations regarding the voting process until 14:00

Akanates’ observers continue to monitor the conduct of voting processes in 300 sampled polling stations in every district of Armenia. Instead of reporting for every single minor incident, Akanates is now reporting on critical violations, incidents which might have serious impact on the electoral process.

In total, Akanates received 23 reports on critical incidents from 22 polling stations concerning the voting process.

The breakdown of received violations by type and number:

Type of Violation Number of Incidents Number of Polling Stations
Presence of unauthorized persons 7 7
Secrecy of the vote violated 4 4
Polling station refusal to record Akanates violations or complaints 7 6
Unauthorized voter assistance 2 2
Open voting 2 2
Guiding voters on how to vote 1 1

The above mentioned violations do not reflect Akanates’ complete evaluation of election day processes. This evaluation will only be made available after the analyses of the sample-based observation (SBO) data from the entire day.

Akanates is monitoring the December 9, 2018 snap parliamentary elections in every district across Armenia. For the first time in Armenia, Akanates is deploying observers using sample-based observeration (SBO) methodology, which evaluates the quality of election day processes using a random, representative sample of polling stations across the country, in every region and district. Using statistical methods, the sample is able to accurately measure the quality of election day processes, including polling station setup, opening, voting, closing and counting processes, nationwide. While observers are not present in every polling station, the statistical nature of the sampling methodology means that the Akanates initiative is able to speak to the conduct of electoral processes across the country.

Akanates next statement will be released at 10:00 pm on December 9, 2018 during the press conference.

Press contact
Levon Barseghyan
Phone: +374 91 821 363

This mission is made possible by the financial support from the European Union, National Endowment for Democracy, United States Agency for International Development, National Democratic Institute and Open Society Foundations – Armenia.

The contents are responsibility of “Akanates” (Eyewitness) observation initiative and its member organizations and do not necessarily reflect the official views of donor organizations.