Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has urged participants in local government elections to contact him directly about unlawful pressure and intimidation.
In a Facebook post, Pashinyan said that any official responsible for such actions would face public punishment if the allegations were substantiated.
“I urge all candidates and voters participating in local government elections who say they have been subjected to unlawful pressure to contact me directly at [email protected].
I publicly pledge that if these allegations are substantiated, any official responsible for such actions will be publicly punished,” he wrote.
Pashinyan subsequently published another post, stating that those affected could also contact law enforcement agencies.
“I urge all voters in the Republic of Armenia to go to the polls and vote against candidates and political forces that use administrative resources, threats, pressure through personal connections, threats of dismissal or promises of employment, or that distribute or promise election bribes.
If any candidate from the Civil Contract party engages in such conduct, I urge voters to vote against that Civil Contract candidate.
At the same time, report all such incidents to me or to law enforcement agencies. Long live democracy!” he wrote.
Earlier, Daniel Ioannisyan, program coordinator of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO, wrote that reports of pressure being exerted against opposition candidates and potential candidates in Armenia’s regions were becoming increasingly credible.
“It is obvious that many Civil Contract members want to participate in elections without facing competition… And to achieve this, they do not hesitate to use administrative resources,” he wrote.
