AFTER FIVE YEARS WE WILL ELECT PRESIDENT OF ARMENIANS INSTEAD OF ELECTING PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA

Institute of dual citizenship to be introduced in Armenia.

After few hours we will know who will be the person to govern the country during the coming five years will. More than 6 million of Armenians living out of their motherland will not take part in the Presidential elections on February 19. Not depending from the results of the voting, it is evident that the next president will be elected not only by those who live in the Republic of Armenia. Almost all the Presidential candidates state their support to the amendments to the Constitution foreseeing dual citizenship.

February 19, 2003

PanARMENIAN.Net - So, it can be assumed that these elections will be the last to elect President of Armenia in the history of Armenia. Next elections will be the elections of President of Armenians. Besides, there are other essential circumstances. The February 19 elections will be the first in the CIS countries carried out with transparent ballot boxes. We suppose that the 2000 ballot boxes imported from Germany will help to prevent falsifications during the elections.

More than 250 foreign observers will be following the process of voting and counting of votes. This figure is unprecedented. Representatives of 20 countries and several international organizations such as the Council of Europe, OSCE, and CIS have arrived in Armenia to observe the elections. Among them are Deputies of the European parliament and national parliaments of the USA, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Czechia, Netherlands, Estonia, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzia, Moldova and other countries.

Azerbaijan did not sign the invitation for exchange of observer mission and refused to nominate its representatives in the delegation of the CIS Parliament Assembly. We’ll remind that recently the high rank representatives of the OSCE and the Council of Europe said that they would not delegate their representatives to Baku if the upcoming Parliamentary elections of Azerbaijan passed in accordance with the electoral code proposed by the authorities, which creates unequal possibilities for the political forces. The fact that so many foreign observers are present in Yerevan, testifies that the international community has recognized the democratic electoral legislation of Armenia and is satisfied with the conditions under which the elections are being carried out.