NGOs complain against unlawful elections

We, the representatives of the civil society sector of the Republic of Armenia, express our concern and worry with regards to improper organization of the elections for CCM membership.

On September 14 and 20, 2011 were held two meetings for the CCM membership elections. During these two meetings several local non-governmental organizations and observers from international organizations expressed their concern and grievance regarding following issues:

    * Before the elections the participants were not provided with enough information about CCM, its role and work,
    * CCM bylaws was not accessible and due to that it was not clear whether or not previous CCM members can be reelected,
    * The compliance of the organizations, which have sent an application form based on the announcement, was not checked by the initiative group, CCM secretariat, with the criterias provided in the announcement,
    * The election procedure was not developed beforehand,
    * Conflict of interest among candidate organizations for CCM membership was not excluded.


During the two meetings proposals aimed to solve the raised concerns, which emanated from healthy rationality, logic and Global Fund standards, were refused by the considerable party of the representatives of the organizations participating at the CCM membership elections, excluding the logical outcome of the existing problems.

The fact that considerable part of the participants were opposing to discuss conflict of interest policy, lets to conclude that indeed there was a conflict of interest among some of the organizations represented for the elections.

Sergey Khachatryan, Deputy Minister of Health, opened the second meeting held on September 20, 2011, who presented differences of current CCM bylaws from previous one, particularly the existence of conflict of interest policy. Despite the fact that we presented the importance of developing election procedure and conflict of interest policy, this circumstance was not discussed and was proposed to pass to elections. The issue of having a conflict of interest policy was not even put on voting. Not agreeing to implement elections without rectifying above mentioned drawbacks 7 local non-governmental organizations refused to take part in the elections.

We announce that implemented elections were not transparent, were not corresponding to the principles of democratic elections and Global Fund Standards.

Based on the abovementioned, as well as stressing the importance of contemporaneousness of CCM committee, which must be formed as a result of democratic elections, we below signed non-governmental organizations, claim to consider the elections invalid and implement new elections ensuring above mentioned conditions.     

Please find attached analysis of the application forms presented by the organizations to CCM secretariat.

 
“Helsinki Citizens` Assembly Vanadzor office” NGO

“New Generation” NGO

“For Family and Health Pan-Armenian Association” NGO

“Public Information and Need of Knowledge” (PINK) NGO

“Armenian Association of Women with University Education” NGO

“Women Resource Center” NGO

“Antidrug Civil Union” NGO

“Positive People Armenian Network” Soc. NGO

“Real World, Real People” NGO

“Youth Cultural Organization” NGO

“Hope and Help” NGO