Armenia

Central Election Commission of Armenia spokesperson Hermine Harutyunyan speaking during an IFES capacity-building exercise.

Since the 2018 Velvet Revolution, Armenia has taken significant strides towards building an accountable, representative democracy to promote transparency in decision-making, build a competitive election process and rid itself of endemic corruption. While Armenia’s re-booted democracy remains fragile due to pressures exerted through external conflict and the lingering influence of elites from the previous ruling regime, it has withstood difficult challenges and is in position to take real strides in its democratic development while balancing geopolitical realities. Implementing assistance activities in the country to support this process, IFES partners with local and international organizations to build the capacity of election management bodies, enhance electoral legislation through a collaborative approach, increase inclusivity in the elections, promote transparency in campaign and political finance and educate Armenia’s youngest voters through a university civic education program.

IFES supports a multi-party consultative process in Armenia to discuss electoral legal and procedural reform; encouraging invaluable inputs from civil society and other local stakeholders; and is working with key state bodies including the Central Election Commission (CEC) and the Committee on the Prevention of Corruption to build direct engagement of citizens and increase public confidence in the reforms under consideration. IFES has also launched a pilot civic education course tilted Engaged Citizen for university students, which is offered in eight universities as of spring semester 2022. IFES also works closely with the CEC, municipal governments and local organizations for persons with disabilities to implement tools and measures to make Armenian elections more accessible to persons with disabilities. Through these and other strategic interventions, IFES supports Armenian stakeholders to hold credible and inclusive elections and engage citizens to actively participate in political processes in building sustainable and resilient democracy.