See the two men in the accompanying photo? On the left is Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan. On the right is General Prosecutor Aghvan Hovsepyan.

At a conference today entitled “Towards Free and Transparent Elections”, both men said the government has the will to conduct such elections and that the people of Armenia are finally ready to vote in such elections.

“Free and transparent elections are a very important political issue for the government. Our society has never placed such importance on holding such elections as now. It can become a reality because the government has the will and the public at large has never been more ready for them,” opined PM Sargsyan.

He said that law enforcement had acquired “new knowledge and skills” regarding how to conduct themselves during elections in order to instil confidence in the people that violations will not go unpunished.

PM Sargsyan also noted that in the age of new information technologies, additional safeguards and possibilities are created by which the public can monitor the lection process.

Also attending the conference were U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern, Central Electoral Commission President Tigran Manouchyan, and representatives of various civic organizations.

The conference was organized by the RA General Prosecutor’s Office with assistance of the U.S. Embassy.