Stronger Measures Are Needed Against Vote Buying

By KRIKOR KHODANIAN

Armenia’s law enforcement agencies have uncovered cases of vote buying carried out in various ways, including under the guise of charity or by paying individuals for no actual work. A statement released by the Anti-Corruption Committee includes audio recordings of phone conversations between those distributing bribes and those receiving them. In one of these recordings, a bribe-giver warns, “Don’t talk about this over the phone,” fully aware that the act is illegal. These efforts to secure voters’ support through bribery are attributed to the “Our Way” movement, led by Russia-based billionaire Samvel Karapetyan.

Karapetyan’s arrival in Armenia and entry into the political arena have reshaped the dynamics of the opposition field. “Our Way,” which has applied to participate in the elections under the newly formed “Strong Armenia” party, is spending vast sums on its campaign, overshadowing all other forces, including the ruling “Civil Contract” party. Through these financial resources, “Strong Armenia” is attempting to create the illusion of a broadly popular movement by organizing large gatherings and opening offices across the country.

However, there is evidence that these crowds are also being assembled through financial incentives rather than genuine voluntary participation. One clear example was seen during the opening of a new office in Gavar. Party leaders arrived with five large buses, bringing along 300 “mobile supporters” who had no connection to the city.

There are additional suspicions linked to the “Our Way” movement. According to some reports, they are preparing to bring large numbers of voters into Armenia from Russia and Georgia, promising them substantial sums of money.

Until 2018, electoral fraud was one of the most vulnerable aspects of Armenia’s political life. Vote buying, various forms of pressure on voters, ballot stuffing, and other violations had become recurring phenomena. After each election, thousands of citizens would take to the streets to protest the latest falsified results. One of the reasons behind the Velvet Revolution was that citizens had lost faith in the possibility of change through elections. Since then, in all elections held—both national and local—the authorities have managed to ensure that they are free and fair. However, the opposition has not abandoned the bad practices it engaged in while in power and continues to rely on vote buying, a practice that undermines Armenia’s aspirations for full democracy.

Democracy has its own clear rules, which must be followed by both the authorities and the opposition. Unfortunately, a significant part of Armenia’s opposition is unwilling to abide by these rules and instead resorts to indirect and improper methods to achieve its goals.

The large sums spent and bribes distributed by wealthy opposition leaders may ultimately fail to produce results, but the authorities should not be satisfied with that alone. Voter bribery must be eradicated from Armenia’s political life, and to achieve this, stricter penalties must be introduced. Holding individuals accountable should not be considered sufficient; the political parties behind them must also be called to account—even to the extent of being barred from participating in elections.

“MASSIS”

Note: Translated with the assistance of CharGPT.