Freedom House Highlights Major Abuse of Administrative Resources in Yerevan Elections

During the Yerevan city council elections, the most significant abuse of administrative resources in favor of Armenia's ruling "Civil Contract" party has been recorded since the 2018 Velvet Revolution, according to the annual report by the human rights organization Freedom House's Nations in Transit 2024.

“The overall organization of the elections was carried out professionally and in an orderly manner, as reported by international observers. The process was free from bribery and voter intimidation that had been commonplace in the past. The elections were generally conducted freely and transparently, and the results were accepted by all participants. However, the elections witnessed the largest misuse of administrative resources in favor of the ruling party since the 2018 Velvet Revolution, as well as a lack of public interest leading to low voter turnout, media manipulation, and polarization, raising concerns about the fairness of the elections,” the report emphasizes.

The organization also notes that local observers and independent media pointed out widespread use of administrative resources to benefit the ruling party during the pre-election campaign.

As an example, Freedom House cites the involvement of mayors and their deputies in the campaign with questionable legal grounds, significant state-funded city restoration projects during the pre-election period seen as attempts to influence voters, organized participation of staff from municipal and republican administrative and educational institutions in rallies organized by the "Civil Contract," and an unprecedented increase in municipal spending for various mass festive events featuring candidates from the ruling party.

“The abuse of administrative resources by the Civil Contract during the campaign and the confusion of the political roles of candidates from the ruling party with the obligations of the municipal administration have been interpreted by local and international observers as blurring the lines between the state and the party,” the report states.

It also notes that in the 2023 elections, Tigran Avinyan, successfully nominated for the Yerevan mayor's position by the Civil Contract, and other representatives of the ruling party launched verbal attacks and attempted to undermine the confidence of observers in election monitoring missions by questioning the funding sources of these missions and accusing them of manipulation.

“Participation in the Yerevan city council elections was 28.5%, significantly lower than the 44% of the previous Yerevan city council elections in 2018. This outcome is symptomatic of political polarization, with citizens being both disillusioned by the failures of the post-revolutionary elite and unwilling to support alternatives posed by the previous regime,” the report states.

The report mentions that a survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI) earlier in 2023 indicated that 60 percent of Armenia’s population does not trust any political or social figure. When asked how they would respond if national elections were held next Sunday, 58 percent of Armenians stated they would either spoil their ballot, not vote at all, vote for no one, or refuse to respond.

“The pre-election campaign was poisoned by a systematic behavior propagated on social media that supported all parties, especially those speaking against the ruling party and their opponents, as investigative journalists have shown,” the document notes.