The “Independent Observer” Alliance issued a statement on foreign influence in Armenia’s elections. In the Armenian context, it takes three distinct forms, each with unique implications:  

Countering foreign hybrid threats against a democratic state in the context of free and fair elections.

According to Article 23 of the RA Electoral Code, conducting a pre-election campaign is prohibited for a number of categories of persons, including foreign citizens. This prohibition is the minimum restriction derived from the principle of excluding interference in electoral processes. For violation of this restriction, Article 40.8 of the Code of Administrative Offences prescribes the imposition of a fine, while Article 16 states that in the case of persons enjoying immunity from administrative liability, the issue of liability is resolved through diplomatic channels.   

In the context of influencing domestic political processes in the Republic of Armenia during the pre-election period, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between three realities.  

1․ Speeches containing expressions of support or endorsement delivered by high-ranking officials of foreign states or international organizations (the support of the US President and Vice President, the President of France for the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, or the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin for Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian citizen aspiring to the office of Prime Minister). Within the framework of RA legislation, such speeches can at most be evaluated as conduct that does not entail administrative liability. In and of themselves, these speeches neither create a threat of overthrowing the constitutional order nor contribute to institutional development; however, they display disrespect toward domestic processes and the sovereign right of citizens, and should not be encouraged.  

2․ Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) operations, which constitute a part of hybrid, namely, blended attacks. These attacks, a priori, occur by the will of external actors and aim to foster a sense of fear and distrust among voters through information campaigns, criminal practices, and economic, diplomatic, and military pressure, thereby exerting pressure on the free expression of the people’s will and directly restricting the freedom of voting. Within the framework of the observation mission, we have witnessed such interferences not only in other states but also in the Republic of Armenia during the 2021  parliamentary snap elections and all subsequent local government elections, carried out by both the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan.  

We qualify such hybrid attacks as activities aimed at overthrowing the constitutional order; however, it is impossible to prevent their dangers through current legislative mechanisms. In the Republic of Armenia, despite around a year of advocacy work carried out by the Independent Observer, the necessary legislative mechanisms were not established to make it possible to guarantee the protection of society from such attacks.   

3․ International support that contributes to the capacity-building of state bodies and the strengthening of democratic institutions, which occurs, and has previously occurred, only upon the direct request or invitation of the RA Government. Thanks to such support, specifically for the organization of voting, voter identification devices are introduced, the digital environment is modernized, and the capacities of election stakeholders are enhanced. This support is unequivocally welcome, and its importance is undeniable for the resilience of a democratic state and for preventing, countering, and mitigating the destructive impact of the aforementioned interferences.  

It is evident that these three forms of foreign involvement and their motivations are vastly different, and interpreting them as equivalent phenomena tends to diminish the severe negative social, political, economic, and institutional impacts recorded in various countries, particularly in Moldova, where hybrid attacks executed through coordinated foreign information manipulation and diverse interferences have been exposed.  

The “Independent Observer” Alliance is represented by:

Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor
Union of Informed Citizens NGO
Direct Democracy NGO