On Wednesday 14 September, a spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) explained in a press release: "Yesterday's signature of the new political agreement on electoral reform in the Republic of Armenia between the government coalition and opposition parties, and consulted with civil society representatives, is a positive development supporting the implementation of electoral reform in the country".
According to Armenian media, the agreement covers prevention of fraud during the 2017 general elections, with changes to rules on, for example, publication of the names of voters and the online, live broadcasting of voting and turnout in the country’s 2,000 voting stations.
"The electoral stakeholders in Armenia should now fully implement the new electoral legislation in good faith in order to increase credibility, transparency and public trust in the new electoral system and procedures in line with international standards", the EEAS spokesperson stated, adding that "the European Union's financial assistance, together with that of other international partners and the engagement of the government, will enable the implementation of the technical aspects defined by the new electoral code of the Republic of Armenia". Leader of the Armenian opposition Levon Zurabian said the international community had agreed to send Armenia around €9 million to help it buy the equipment needed to put the electoral reforms into practice. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)