The Armenian police have ignored hundreds of reports of electoral fraud filed by ordinary citizens through a special website, a civic organization claimed on Thursday.
The iDitord.org website was set up in the run-up to Sunday’s parliamentary elections to enable Armenians to publicize vote irregularities witnessed or suspected by them.
According to the Anti-Corruption Center (ACC), the Armenian affiliate of Transparency International which has sponsored the project, the website received more than 1,000 fraud claims, roughly half of them on election day.
The head of the ACC, Sona Ayvazian, said that the police have so far investigated only two such cases despite being informed about the project beforehand. She said both reports were deemed by the ACC to have come from “untrustworthy” sources.
“The police have simply demonstrated inactivity in the case of many reports,” Ayvazian told a news conference. “For example, vote bribes were handed out at the [ruling] HHK’s headquarters in Vanadzor and the police were immediately informed about that. However, they did not take any immediate steps. We have only just learned that they are going to demand explanations from those who sent that report.”
The police said earlier this week that they received and promptly investigated 78 fraud allegations on election day. Three criminal cases were opened as a result. Two of them related to the alleged payment of vote bribes by activists of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK).
The Armenian opposition says that vote buying by the HHK as well as the BHK was widespread during the voting process. Both governing parties deny that.
The iDitord.org website was set up in the run-up to Sunday’s parliamentary elections to enable Armenians to publicize vote irregularities witnessed or suspected by them.
According to the Anti-Corruption Center (ACC), the Armenian affiliate of Transparency International which has sponsored the project, the website received more than 1,000 fraud claims, roughly half of them on election day.
The head of the ACC, Sona Ayvazian, said that the police have so far investigated only two such cases despite being informed about the project beforehand. She said both reports were deemed by the ACC to have come from “untrustworthy” sources.
“The police have simply demonstrated inactivity in the case of many reports,” Ayvazian told a news conference. “For example, vote bribes were handed out at the [ruling] HHK’s headquarters in Vanadzor and the police were immediately informed about that. However, they did not take any immediate steps. We have only just learned that they are going to demand explanations from those who sent that report.”
The police said earlier this week that they received and promptly investigated 78 fraud allegations on election day. Three criminal cases were opened as a result. Two of them related to the alleged payment of vote bribes by activists of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK).
The Armenian opposition says that vote buying by the HHK as well as the BHK was widespread during the voting process. Both governing parties deny that.