Freedom House issued its annual report where Armenia ranks among the “consolidated authoritarian regimes”
A1+, Yerevan, 01 Jul 2009 – Democracy Suffers Dark Year in Former Communist States in 2008, runs the report Nations in Transit (NIT).
Freedom House’s Annual Survey Nations in Transit (NIT) tracks democratic developments and setbacks of 29 countries in the former Communist states of Europe and Eurasia. The 2009 report observes a worrying regional trend with more than half of the countries backsliding in democratic reforms, or continuing on a dangerous trajectory towards authoritarian governance. Being released shortly before the US-Russian Summit, Nations in Transit serves as a reminder to keep democracy issues high on the agenda in the West’s relations with Russia and its neighbors.
Nations in Transit 2009 is the 13th edition of Freedom House’s comprehensive, comparative study of democratic development from Central Europe to Eurasia. It examines 29 countries, including the newest independent state in the region, Kosovo. The overarching conclusion is that 2008 was a very difficult year for democracy: scores declined for 18 of the 29 countries, and a record 8 countries are now in the “consolidated authoritarian regimes” category. Worrying trends highlighted in the previous three editions of Nations in Transit became even more pronounced in 2008, while positive trends lost momentum. A number of events illustrate the intensification of these negative trends. In 2008, for the first time in the 21st century, a war erupted between two states covered in Nations in Transit. The so-called “August War” between Georgia and Russia served as a wake-up call for those who believed that the democratic decline observed in the region over the last few years would not have a detrimental effect on security and stability. Highly problematic elections accentuated the region’s troubles.
And the government in Georgia used administrative resources to seriously influence that country’s hotly contested presidential and parliamentary elections. Nations in Transit 2009 documents how journalists were once again at risk throughout the region, from Croatia to Uzbekistan, and national governments were challenged by corruption scandals, as was the case in Bulgaria; by divisive ethnic politics, as in Bosnia and Herzegovina; by parliamentary boycotts, as in Montenegro; or by infighting and outright irresponsibility among political leaders, as in Ukraine.
Armenia’s presidential poll was marred by lethal postelection violence which resulted in human victims, runs the report.
“Despite these drawbacks, international institutions issued positive statements about Armenian elections in 2008 that were clearly flawed. A number of positive post-election assessments by international observers are doubtful and deluding,” reads the report.
Director of Freedom House-Europe Vladimir Shkolnikov said during a conversation to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: “Armenia is a good example. If after the large-scale election fraud, post-election collisions and the clashes of March 1-2 international observers say the Armenian elections go in line with European standards it means something is wrong.”
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