Civil High Awareness and Lawful Conduct Expected on Election Day: Armenian Prosecutor General's Office

The Prosecutor's Office of Armenia expects a display of high civil consciousness and lawful behavior from political forces participating in the elections, voters, and other entities involved on the voting day, as stated in a press release issued by the Prosecutor's Office.

According to the Armenian Electoral Code, gathering in groups within a 50-meter radius of polling stations on voting day is prohibited, as is the accumulation of vehicles near the entrance to the polling stations. The enforcement of these provisions, along with maintaining public order in these areas, is the responsibility of police officers serving at the polling stations, regardless of the requirements of the electoral commission.

As per Article 55 of the same code, the central and territorial bodies of the police, their services, and divisions are obliged to ensure the smooth conduct of the elections and the unrestricted activities of electoral commissions and their members. The police maintain order during election-related events and assist the commissions as per the requirements of the head of the electoral commission, ensuring the safe transport and storage of electoral documents within the commissions.

In accordance with part 14 of Article 67 of the code, if a member of the commission, a trusted person, or an observer finds that a violation of the voting procedure established by this code has occurred during the voting, they have the right to request that their assessment be recorded in the voter registration journal of the precinct electoral commission.

Thus, all participants in the electoral process who have the right to be present at the polling station and voting room must exercise their powers strictly in accordance with the procedures established by the Armenian Electoral Code in all aforementioned cases. Any participant in the electoral process or any individual bypassing or ignoring their powers, as outlined in the code, could face criminal liability. Specifically, according to Article 149.2 of the Armenian Criminal Code, the use of or threat of violence in the precinct or in areas adjacent to it, which affects or could affect the normal process of elections, is punishable by imprisonment of up to six years.

We urge all participants in the electoral process to exercise their powers during the voting exclusively in accordance with the procedures defined by the Electoral Code.