Whatever happens, is before vote count: NGO suggests filming electoral process

President of "The Choice is Yours" non-governmental organization, Harutyun Hambardzumyan, has been taken by surprise that Armenia's ruling authorities did not want to include in the amendments to the Electoral Code the provision that envisage filming the entire electoral process instead of the vote count only.

In a discussion on the amendments to be introduced in Armenia's Electoral Code Mr Harutyunyan said that groundless are the reasons that the electoral process cannot be videoed because it is considered secret by the law.

"But the law says that it is the voting that is secret, not the election. What happens happens before the vote count," said Mr Hambardzumyan.

"The Choice is yours" NGO is specialized in carrying out observation missions during elections.

Mr Hambardzumyan also said that it is inadmissible that Armenia's Electoral Code allows an organization to conduct election observation only if its representatives have relevant training and a document to prove it.

"In no country does the law oblige [such] training," said he, adding that the observers do not have legal leverages to exert any influence upon the electoral process.