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Over 170 CIS observers to monitor elections in Armenia

Armenian President Serzh Sargzyan expressed confidence that the work of the CIS observer mission will be productive

YEREVAN, May 4 (Itar-Tass) — A total of 173 CIS observers will monitor the parliamentary elections that will be held in Yerevan on Sunday.

Armenian President Serzh Sargzyan expressed confidence that the work of the CIS observer mission will be productive. “We have done all to have high-quality elections in accordance with free and democratic principles,” the president said when he received on Thursday the head of the mission, first deputy chairman of the CIS Executive Committee Vladimir Garkun, and the head of the mission’s headquarters Yevgeny Sloboda.

This is necessary so that “the results of the elections inspire confidence in our people as well as in our partners,” the presidential press service quoted him as saying. “This is very important for us,” the president said.

CIS officials gave high marks to activity of the Armenian Central Election Commission. The electoral code of the country has undergone major changes. A monitoring of the CIS mission of observers has shown that the election campaign proceeds calmly, Garkun said, noting a contribution of mass media to that. According to him, “equal conditions have been ensured in media for all candidates,” while the work of the central and regional election commissions has been “open and transparent”.

“We are making every effort to make these elections qualitatively different from previous ones,” Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisyan said at talks with CIS mission officials. He noted that the presence of observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States is a major support for spreading objective information about the elections, the government press service said.

The interlocutors also discussed the agenda of a session of the Council of the CIS Heads of Government that will be held in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) on May 30.

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