According to the report, the media in Armenia are diverse, but many outlets are perceived as politically affiliated, including the public television. In addition to the broadcast media, social networks are significant platforms for political information. Facebook, in particular, has become a significant platform for political information and debate. But the public TV, financed by the state budget, continues to be perceived as having a pro-government editorial policy.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), which will conduct an observation mission during the snap parliamentary election that will be conducted in Armenia on December 9, has issued a respective interim report.

As per the report, the elections are administered by the Central Election Commission (CEC), 38 Territorial Election Commissions (TECs), and 2,010 Precinct Election Commissions (PECs). No concerns were raised so far about the confidence in the CEC and TECs.

According to the report, preliminary lists have been posted for public scrutiny with a total of 2,577,112 registered voters. By law, after elections, the CEC will scan and publish all signed voter lists and post them on its website. A number of ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) interlocutors, however, expressed concerns about privacy of citizens’ data.

The report noted that all contestants met the 25-percent gender quota. No concerns were raised about the candidate registration process.

It is noted that the election campaign officially starts on 26 November, but early campaigning is not prohibited. Party interlocutors expressed confidence to the ODIHR EOM about the possibility to campaign freely, but some raised concerns about potential abuse of state resources, vote-buying and pressure on voters, especially in rural areas. Majority of ODIHR EOM interlocutors voiced concerns about intolerant and inflammatory rhetoric, particularly online.

As per the report, campaigning by government officials while performing their official duties is prohibited. Several political parties claimed in the media and to the ODIHR EOM that a 19 November event when the acting Prime Minister visited construction sites and attended a town celebration in the Gegharkunik region was an abuse of administrative resources.

According to the report, the media in Armenia are diverse, but many outlets are perceived as politically affiliated, including the public television. In addition to the broadcast media, social networks are significant platforms for political information. Facebook, in particular, has become a significant platform for political information and debate. But the public TV, financed by the state budget, continues to be perceived as having a pro-government editorial policy.

While several ODIHR EOM interlocutors noted improvements in media pluralism, some stated that public discourse is not conducive to criticism towards the acting government and, in particular, the acting Prime Minister.