CEC declines candidate’s complaint

YEREVAN, February 6. / ARKA /. At an extraordinary meeting today Armenia’s Central Election Commission declined a complaint from a presidential candidate, Andrias Ghukasian, who claims that the use of his image in a campaign ad of the incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan who is seeking reelection in February 18 polls, may mislead the voters.

According to CEC,  it does not have the legal authority to assess public perception of the information provided by candidates, let alone  impose sanctions because of  this perception.

It said in a statement that no law prohibits presidential candidates from using images of other people in their campaign videos.

The February 18 election will be contested by eight candidates - the incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan, former prime minister Hrant Bagratyan, ex-foreign minister Raffi Hovannisian, a Soviet time dissident Paruyr Hayrikyan, former foreign minister of Karabakh Arman Melikyan, a political analyst Andrias Ghukasyan, a businessman Vartan Sedrakian and Aram Harutyunyan, leader of a small National Unity party. -0-