In an attempt to secure votes for the upcoming parliamentary elections, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) collects copies of citizens’ passports, Yerkir paper reports.

“Some may think that providing a passport copy is enough: the authorities may believe you’ll vote for them and leave you alone; but this is only the beginning,” paper says.

“First they [RPA] take your passport copy, then start bombing you with telephone calls. Saying they represent RPA’s election office, they ask people to confirm their willingness to vote for RPA at May elections. They say they need a confirmation for their notes,” Yerkir says.

Then RPA representatives say they may call again.

According to Yerkir, this is a kind of psychological pressure on voters prior to elections, and many people yield to this for fear of losing their jobs.