On a different topic. at the same time, during the election campaign, local observers and independent media recorded cases of large-scale abuse of administrative resources by the ruling party. As an example, the organized participation of pedagogues and civil servants in the “Civil Contract” rallies and the unprecedented spending of local budgets on festive events, in which the candidates of the ruling party participated, are mentioned․․․
The report states that 28.5 percent of the voters participated in the vote, which is “specific to polarized societies, where citizens are disappointed by the failures of the post-revolutionary elites and at the same time reject the return of the representatives of the former regime.” “One of the most heralded achievements of the Velvet Revolution was the separation of politics from big business and oligarchs, but 2023 has revealed worrying trends…
Independent investigations by Infocom and CivilNet revealed serious signs of political corruption,” Freedom House notes, detailing. – Most of the people who transferred money for the “Civil Contract” election campaign were not aware of the donations made on their behalf, or donated more than their income. In addition, “Armeconombank” was involved in the implementation of donations, the majority of whose shares belong to the family of Khachatur Sukiasyan, deputy of the “Civil Agreement”
“It is worrying that the law enforcement bodies did not see elements of violation of the law in these publications, the Prosecutor’s Office, in solidarity with the ruling party, denied them,” Freedom House notes.
As a positive development, the Government adopted a decision in November in favor of decentralization, as well as an action plan to increase the role and efficiency of local authorities. On the other hand, it is recorded that in the background of these important reforms, “guarantees of the independence and authority of local authorities have been called into question due to the coordinated attempts of the “Civil Pact” to remove opposition mayors from office.”
