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Head of the CIS Executive Committee Yevgeny Sloboda voiced hope that the upcoming snap parliamentary elections in Armenia due on December 9 will be free and democratic, he told reporters at a briefing in CEC today.

To the question, how many observers from the CIS will monitor the elections, Sloboda said that the accreditation of observers is not over yet.

"It will be over on November 24. We are planning to have 70-72 observers. Last year there were 76 of us. Let me tell you that it was quite enough for the mission in Armenia. There are well-trained observers among them: Russian State Duma deputies, members of the electoral commissions of all levels, "said Yevgeny Sloboda, expressing hope that this time they will also be able to conduct a proper observation mission.

At the same time he informed that they will carry out long-term observation mission with about 20 partners.
Sloboda noted that by now, candidates from Belarus, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan have been included in the observation mission. Representatives from Moldova and Uzbekistan may participate, too. Ukraine and Azerbaijan will not participate in the observation mission.

Yevgeny Sloboda was unable to predict the CIS observation mission’s assessment, which is usually given after the elections. He only recalled that the CIS mission did not have serious remarks during the previous elections, except for the cases of violations observed in separate polling stations.