EMDS issued press-release on physical, psychological and political pressure put on independent observers, candidates, their representatives and journalists since the 9 February early Parliamentary Elections.
EMDS notes with regret that observers faced various cases of pressure during the voting and counting processes across the country on Election Day. Currently, individual complaints are on their way to be submitted to the Central Election Commission. Overall, 12 such cases have been submitted.
According to the information received by the EMDS, the Central Election Commission demands the originals but not the copies of the ‘acts’ as a ground to the claims while accepting the complaints which creates additional obstacles for the candidates. Because submitting the original of the documents may lead to serious issues for the exhaustion of possible other legal protection methods. Especially, if the candidates submit the originals of the documents to the CEC or mail office for the CEC and the documents get lost in the stationary office of the CEC it automatically denies any second chance for the candidates to file a complaint again without any supporting ‘act’. This has been stated by the European Court of Human Rights too, where it repeatedly noted that local authorities must ask for the copy but not for the original of the documents since the copy or the originals of the documents do not matter in essence in the investigation of the cases. EMDS believes that this step by the CEC will be another blow on the effective investigation of the election complaints.
For more information, please click here
