Congress pre-electoral mission to Armenia meets opposition parties

05.05.2009 – The Congress delegation continued its pre-electoral visit in Yerevan, on 5 May, by meeting city officials and candidates in the municipal elections, which will be held in the Armenian capital on 31 May.

They met in particular representatives of the major opposition groups, not sitting in Parliament: the Armenian National Congress (HAK) led by Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who is running as candidate for Mayor of Yerevan and Artsvik Minasyan, candidate of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), opposition party that recently left the governmental coalition.

Both representatives reported of the use of questionable methods in the organisation of the elections and expressed worries about possible threats to a proper conduct during election day.

The three-member delegation also met a group of 11 Ambassadors of European and non-European countries. They stressed the crucial role of these elections for the future of the country and expressed their support to the observation mission of the Congress, which will be the only international organisation to observe these elections.

In addition, the delegation met some representatives of INGOs present on the ground.