[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9976-9977]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, May 30, the Republic of Armenia 
will hold parliamentary elections. In these last 2 weeks leading up to 
election day, the parties and candidates are intensifying their 
campaigns and are holding rallies, meetings and using free TV air time 
as well as paid commercials to get their message out to the voters. 
Both domestic and international observers will closely scrutinize the 
conduct of the election to ensure that it is free and fair. Armenia's 
Central Elections Commission has promised equal treatment for all 
parties and has vowed to penalize anyone who commits illegal or 
fraudulent acts connected to the election.
  Mr. Speaker, we Americans may take for granted the idea of free and 
fair elections, but in Armenia as a former captive nation under the 
Soviet Union, the progress of democracy and the establishments of the 
institutions of a civil society in less than a decade of independence 
is nothing short of remarkable. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, given the 
fact that many of Armenia's neighbors are ruled by authoritarian 
governments, some of which maintain a hostile and aggressive attitude, 
the determination of the Armenian people to work towards a democratic 
political system is all the more impressive.
  Armenian voters last went to the polls in March of 1998 to elect a 
President. The winner of that election, President Robert Kocharian, was 
here in Washington last month as part of the NATO summit. He also came 
to Capitol Hill to meet with Members of Congress to discuss the 
prospects for U.S.-Armenia relations and our role in promoting 
stability and economic development in the Caucasus region. Armenia's 
central location in the heart of this region at the crossroads of 
Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Central Asia will make it an 
increasingly important country for the U.S. strategic considerations in 
the 21st century.
  Mr. Speaker, for a country with less than 4 million people living in 
an area about the size of the State of Maryland, Armenia has an 
extremely diverse group of political parties representing a wide range 
of ideologies. More than 800 individual candidates and 21 political 
parties are vying for 131 seats in the parliament; 75 seats will be 
contested in single-candidate constituencies, while 56 seats are 
reserved for a system of proportional representation.
  According to a recent report, 11 political parties and blocs have 
used the free TV air time that has been allotted to them. Media outlets 
representing diverse ideologies are covering the elections. For the 
first time, the campaign and election will be covered on the Internet. 
Paid political advertisements for this election cycle have exceeded the 
levels of all previous election campaigns. A survey by the Armenian 
Sociological Association indicated that

[[Page 9977]]

voter turnout would be as high as 75 percent, although other polls 
suggest figures could be somewhat lower than that. The polls indicate 
that at least six parties and blocs would be able to garner the 5 
percent threshold of votes needed to be represented in the Parliament. 
The major issue is expected to be the economy.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to stress that in the first few elections 
held in the first few years after Armenia became a democracy, there 
were admittedly some problems. But last year's presidential elections 
showed the world that Armenia has made significant progress in just a 
few years despite the legacy of 70 years of Communist dictatorship. 
After the resignation of Armenia's first President, Levon Ter-
Petrosian, in early 1998, the transition was handled in an orderly 
manner according to the nation's constitution. The presidential 
election conducted in two rounds was peaceful and well-organized, and 
the legitimacy of the outcome was accepted by the vast majority of 
observers inside and outside Armenia.
  Later this month, Armenia will once again find itself under heavy 
international scrutiny because of the elections. The Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe on April 26 set up a monitoring 
mission with 15 long-term observers deployed around the country to 
monitor the election campaign and administrative preparation, and to 
assess the implementation of the new electoral code.
  Mr. Speaker, I am confident that the Armenian people will demonstrate 
once again during this election on May 30 their commitment to building 
a society based on civility, the rule of law and tolerance for each 
other's opinions. This election I think will go far once again to show 
the progress of Armenia's democracy.

                          ____________________