YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The 18th Annual Conference of the Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials (ACEEEO) started in Yerevan on September 3. The main theme of the conference is the Judicial Protection of Electoral Rights. The conference has been organized by the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia and ACEEEO under the patronage of the OSCE Yerevan Office and the Armenia Office of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Among its participants are about 150 representatives of 32 countries and various international organizations. "The problem of efficient protection of electoral rights exists today in many democratic countries. In this respect I attach great importance to international cooperation and the exchange of experience," the RA National Assembly Speaker Hovik Arahamian stated in his speech of welcome at the conference. In his words, the theme of the conference "addresses the most complex issues related to elections today". "No one wants to be defeated at elections. In case of losing a political struggle, many are tempted to dispute the election outcome. For that reason all democratic countries have come to a decision to solve such issues through independent judicial authority. No two truths can exist at the same time, especially when the matter concerns a hard-fought political struggle. Under such conditions a body which can make a final and irreversible conclusion about the contradictions of the competing political forces is the only independent and strong judicial authority," the NA speaker said. ACEEEO Secretary General Zoltan Toth said that the main slogan of the Association is "Power of Voting Papers and not Bullets". According to him, the ACEEEO, a non-profit organization independent from political parties and governments, was founded in 1991. Its goal is to address issues related to elections in the region. It currently has 23 member states, while Slovenia and Kosovo will join it soon.

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