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PACE Election Observation Mission to Armenia launched its mission report yesterday at the session of PACE Standing Committee in Tirana, Albania. The 13-page report gives political and legal assessment of the organization of elections – from candidate registration to press freedom environment. Present at the Committee session, head of Armenian delegation David Harutyunyan strongly criticized the report, saying its “full with manipulations”.

Panorama.am asked political scientist Hovhannes Nikoghosyan, Head of Chair at Slavonic University, to comment on the report and evaluate allegations voiced by Armenian delegation.

“I am aware of report and the feedback of Mr Harutyunyan, and mostly agree with him. But specifically I would wish to touch upon the claims that the report is written by the head of delegation, Baroness Emma Nicholson, ALDE, on her own - without duly consultations with the other 24 members of the mission. Surprisingly, the Baroness unveils it herself, when, e.g. on Para 3 of the report she, a native English-speaker from UK, speaks from her private perspective. I also learnt reports, that deputy head of mission, Polish Senator Piotr Wach had been unaware of the report himself. However, leaving irregularities also mentioned by David Harutyunyan aside, I would certainly point at the most worrisome recommendation on Para 57, which should have been totally out of the rights and duties of any electoral observation mission and, in essence, an intervention into domestic affairs. I guess the Parliamentary Assembly and the CoE Bureau should pay increased attention on the politically-driven agenda of its observation missions, so well portrayed in recent ESI report on Azerbaijan. It’s a pity to see value-based organization such as Council of Europe gradually turning into interest-based club of manipulators. As a full-power member, this should also be our headache”.