The Prosperous Armenia Party issued a statement regarding the final report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, saying the report on Armenia’s parliamentary elections confirms the seriousness of problems the party had raised during the electoral process. The party said the Central Electoral Commission’s decision had a direct impact not only on one political force but also on the final composition of the National Assembly. The Central Electoral Commission invalidated voting results at three polling stations without ordering repeat voting. “According to the report, given the consequences of that decision, its justification was insufficient. Had the voting results from the polling stations in question been taken into account, the Prosperous Armenia Party would have crossed the established threshold and should have received parliamentary representation. Thus, the CEC decision directly affected not only one political force but also the final composition of the National Assembly. “For the Prosperous Armenia Party, this is a matter of principle. Artificially depriving the party of parliamentary representation when it had the necessary voter support cannot be regarded merely as a technical issue of election administration. Such a decision undermines citizens’ trust in both the electoral process and state institutions and fundamentally distorted the political composition of the National Assembly by leaving outside parliament a political force that, according to PACE’s conclusions, could have crossed the threshold established by law. “Particular concern is also caused by the subsequent criminal prosecution of party chairman Gagik Tsarukyan, under which he was detained after the elections. In the broader context of the elections, PACE also recorded issues related to pressure on the opposition and the use of law enforcement mechanisms, noting that numerous criminal proceedings concerning election-related violations predominantly involved opposition representatives and created the impression of selective application of law enforcement mechanisms. In this context, the Prosperous Armenia Party considers it necessary for the international community to provide an objective assessment of both the circumstances surrounding the party’s deprivation of parliamentary representation and the prosecution of its leader,” the statement said. According to Prosperous Armenia, the content of PACE’s recommendations is also noteworthy: strengthening the independence and impartiality of election administration, improving procedures for repeat voting and appealing decisions by electoral bodies, preventing misuse of administrative resources, increasing transparency in campaign financing and ensuring equal conditions for all participants in the electoral process. The party said the scope of the recommendations itself indicates the existence of systemic problems requiring institutional solutions. “We appeal to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Union, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Council of Europe and other international democratic institutions, calling on them not to limit themselves to recording the identified problems and to ensure consistent international monitoring of the situation in Armenia. International attention should extend not only to the conduct of elections but also to decisions adopted by state bodies after elections that may alter the outcome of citizens’ political representation. “Democracy is tested not only by how voting is conducted but also by the extent to which state institutions respect the political consequences of election results. The rule of law, citizens’ free expression of will, political pluralism and equality among participants in the political process are fundamental principles whose observance cannot depend on political expediency. The international democratic community cannot turn a blind eye to decisions and actions that may call these principles into question and alter citizens’ political representation after voting. It is the consistent defense of these values, rather than political expediency, that should determine the approach of international institutions toward Armenia’s democratic processes,” the statement said. The statement said the Prosperous Armenia Party would continue to defend its voters’ right to political representation and would seek concrete legal and institutional assessments of the problems recorded by international observers. “Prosperous Armenia will continue its struggle for the earliest possible release of party leader Gagik Tsarukyan. In this direction, we will continue working with all reputable international organizations and institutions. Freedom for Gagik Tsarukyan, freedom for all political prisoners,” the statement said.