12 Reports Received During Kotayk Region Local Elections

On December 5, 2021, local self-government elections were held in the major communities of Kotayk province, including Tsaghkadzor, Hrazdan, Nairi, Abovyan, Nor Hajn, and Garni.

As of 8:00 PM, the time voting concluded, law enforcement agencies recorded 12 reports regarding apparent electoral offenses or other crimes related to the elections. All incidents were related to the voting process. Among these, 3 reports were identified through media publications as part of ongoing monitoring conducted by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia, while 8 were complaints made by individuals, including a significant majority from the heads of the territorial electoral commissions, with 1 stemming from a social media post identified through monitoring.

Out of the 12 reports received from various sources, one report related to apparent electoral bribery in the Abovyan community, while 3 reports mentioned obstructing the exercise of voting rights through voter guidance in the Abovyan and Hrazdan communities. Additionally, 1 report was regarding the use of administrative resources in the Abovyan community. Moreover, 6 reports were about alleged attempts at double voting in different polling stations in the Abovyan and Hrazdan communities, and 1 report involved threats of violence near a polling center in Abovyan.

In relation to the alleged electoral violations, the regional divisions of the Police of Armenia have initiated verification actions to clarify the circumstances indicated in 3 abstract and general reports. Furthermore, based on the direction of the regional prosecutor's office, the Police and the Kotayk regional investigative division of the Investigative Committee of Armenia have begun the process of preparing materials regarding 9 of the reports, aiming to clarify all circumstances and provide legal assessments. Both the preparation of materials and verification actions in all cases are currently underway.