IFES was one of the international groups monitoring the Yerevan Council elections. IFES has been working with Armenia’s Central Election Commission on a USAID project to promote the more professional and transparent implementation of elections in Armenia.

Anthony Bowyer, IFES Central Asia and Caucasus program manager, comments on the election:

"While there were some progressive elements in the work of local polling commissions, such as more accurate voters lists, a more streamlined voting process and better equipment to guarantee the privacy of the vote, these were offset by egregious violations witnessed by both local and international observers."

"The competition for seats affected voters and the voting process on election day to a very high degree; the prevalence of unauthorized persons both inside and around the polling stations which served to intimidate voters and poll workers alike, played a large role in determined the final, announced results of the vote."

"The presence of these unauthorized persons stemmed from serious competition among political parties, namely the ruling Republican Party and its main governing coalition partner Prosperous Armenia. Together with the Armenia National Congress bloc, these three parties were the only ones to surmount the 7% threshold (9% for party blocs) and gain seats on the Yerevan city council, with the Republican party's top party list candidate Gagik Beglaryan now in a position to retain his post as mayor of the capital.

"The combination of the presence of unauthorized persons and the observed violations suggest that additional motivation of the authorities is required for Armenia to hold an election worthy of the highest international standards."