Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

Snap parliamentary elections of 2018 were a special political event as the institutional hub of the democratic revolution. Among its core goals were establishment of the institute of free and fair elections, increase of public trust in it, and formation of a legitimate parliament through elections. 

Both local and international missions observing the snap parliamentary elections, including the Independent Observer alliance,  gave positive assessments to  the elections, emphasizing the free expression of citizens’ will, and the legitimate nature of the elections in general.

Retrospective assessments of campaigns of parties and alliances of parties participating in 2018 snap parliamentary elections and studies of public perception of the campaign were initiated to probe into that special political event at the level of perception of politicians on the one hand, and at the level of public opinion on the other hand, aiming to develop the culture of political competition in Armenia and increase effectiveness of participation. 

The aim of the study is to provide baseline data regarding the behavior of politicians and voters in political processes, i.e., participation forms, motives and preferences, in order to observe and assess the spectrum of various factors during future electoral processes, as well as to clarify mutual expectations of voters and parties, and to make their opinions heard. Since this two-component study looks at actually the first unchallenged elections, it would be presumptuous to think that it can provide exhaustive information on the factors that influence electoral behavior and the ways this behavior is manifested. At the same time, snap elections of 9 December 2018 took place as a result of unprecedented events, which means that  it is necessary to consider the factors identified by the study with a certain reservation and not to expect a similar influence during the next elections. 

The knowledge and analysis reflected in the report are primarily addressed to Armenian parties, alliances of parties, and individual politicians, but can also be of interest to anyone interested in Armenian political processes. The report sums up the results of the observations and interviews made during the electoral campaign in November-December 2018, in-depth interviews with candidates of NA snap elections during May-June 2019, and quantitative research conducted among voters.

The report is available here in Armenian.  

This study was carried out by Independent Observer Alliance member and partner organizations in the frame of the project “Electoral Preparation and Monitoring by Civil Society Organizations in Armenia: Elections4All”.

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This publication was made with the financial support of the European Union. Responsibility for the contents of this publication lies with the Independent Observer public alliance and it does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.