The International Republican Institute (IRI) announced that attempts by Russia to influence the parliamentary elections in Armenia were observed.
Modern.az reports that representatives of the organization stated this when presenting the preliminary report at a press conference held in Yerevan on June 8. It was noted that a more detailed report will be released within two months.
The organization generally assessed the elections as fair. 23 representatives from 7 countries participated in the monitoring process. They conducted observations in 17 communities located in 8 provinces of Armenia and visited 107 polling stations.
IRI representatives stated that they did not record systematic violations, and the voting and vote counting process was reliable. At the same time, the organization emphasized that the election campaign was held in conditions of high political polarization.
Based on the results of the observations, the institute presented 11 recommendations. The recommendations included strengthening control over financial flows, including international financial channels, for the Armenian authorities, tightening penalties for voter procurement, increasing control over the financial turnover of parties and blocs, and strengthening cybersecurity measures.
The organization also called on the Central Election Commission and law enforcement agencies to more actively investigate information related to the use of administrative resources and cases of pressure.
According to IRI representatives, direct attempts at influence from Russia, including threats of sanctions, were observed. In addition, voter pressure, disinformation on peace-related topics, flows of fake information, the use of bots and artificial intelligence tools, manipulation, phishing attacks, as well as cyberattacks against the websites of the Armenian CEC and other state institutions were recorded.
Despite this, the organization's representatives stated that Armenia made a democratic choice and demonstrated a European-oriented course.
