Back Building media capacity ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections

Building media capacity ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections

Media plays an important role in modern societies, especially at the time of elections, when fair, balanced and thorough media coverage is needed. Following the success of the first event, the Council of Europe, in partnership with the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia (CEC), held the second tailored capacity building event for media representatives ahead of the parliamentary elections in June 2026 in Armenia.

While the media informs voters so they can make informed choices, it also ensures that candidates and political parties have equal access, allowing fair competition. Importantly, the media must remain independent and uphold freedom of expression.

Ahead of the parliamentary elections in Armenia strengthening resilience in addressing key challenges in election reporting, including disinformation, bias, and unequal media access in line with domestic and European standards was the main topics of the tailored capacity-building events, which were organised jointly by the Council of Europe and the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia on 28-29 March and 25-26 April 2026 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia.        

The events were grounded in key Council of Europe recommendations, which served as its guiding framework. In particular, Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)15 of the Committee of Ministers on measures concerning media coverage of elections and Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)12 on electoral communication and media coverage of election campaigns provided the core reference documents, outlining essential principles for ensuring fair, balanced, and equitable media coverage throughout electoral periods.

Around 40 journalists from accredited media outlets in Yerevan and across Armenia’s regions who will cover the upcoming elections attended the events, along with officials from the Central Electoral Commission and the Commission on Television and Radio of Armenia. The events served as a valuable platform for dialogue, bringing together diverse perspectives aimed at improving journalists’ awareness and ability to provide fair, balanced, and ethical election coverage, supporting transparency and integrity in Armenia’s electoral process.

The Council of Europe and the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia will further continue their cooperation on media coverage of elections throughout the year ahead of approximately 40 local self-government elections scheduled in Armenia after the Parliamentary Elections.

The events were organised by the Council of Europe project “Promoting freedom of expression, media and access to information in Armenia” implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.

TSAGHKADZOR, ARMENIA 28-29 March and 25-26 April 2026
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What is the goal and objective of the project?

Implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023–2026, the project “Promoting Freedom of Expression, Media and Access to Information in Armenia” aims to support strengthening safeguards for  freedom of expression and ongoing legislative reforms in this area, enhancing the capacity of the national audiovisual regulator, public broadcaster, institutional efforts of relevant Armenian authorities and stakeholders (Ministry of Justice, Human Rights Defender’s Staff, Central Electoral Commission ) in countering disinformation and improving media literacy, particularly in the pre-election period, legislative and practical steps in countering Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) in line with the Council of Europe instruments, as well as harmonisation of domestic legislation on access to information in line with the Tromsø Convention.

 Start date: 1 January 2026

 Duration: 12 months

 Funding: EUR 400,000, donors contributing to the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023–2026

Contact person: Ms Naira Meliksetyan, Senior Project Officer

Who benefits from the project?
  • Relevant national authorities: 
  • Ministry of Justice
  • Ministry of High-Tech Industry
  • Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport
  • Commission on TV and Radio of Armenia
  • Human Rights Defender’s Staff
  • Central Electoral Commission
  • Public TV Company of Armenia
  • major nation-wide outlets, journalists
  • media community and civil society organisations
  • general public
How does the project work?

The project is composed of three inter-connected components:

  • Component 1: Support the Ministry of Justice and other state institutions to advance currently ongoing and planned reforms of the legislative and regulatory framework governing freedom of expression, media and countering SLAPPs in Armenia.
  • Component 2: Strengthen the institutional capacity of the relevant national authorities and stakeholders, including the Commission on TV and Radio of Armenia (national audiovisual regulator), Central Electoral Commission and the staff of the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsperson) on media coverage of elections, countering information disorder, improving media literacy and enhancing the society’s resilience to disinformation. Support civil society organisations and major nation-wide media outlets, including the public broadcaster, in addressing disinformation challenges and narratives, enhancing gender-sensitive reporting, as well as support to media professionals and other stakeholders in the realm of promoting ethical, unbiased reporting and content diversification.  
  • Component 3: Enhance the legal and institutional framework on Freedom of Access to Information in line with Council of Europe standards, including the Tromsø Convention on Access to Official Documents. 
What do we expect to achieve?

The project’s overall objective (impact) is that citizens of Armenia exercise more effectively the right to freedom of expression.

Expected results include:

  • Enhanced effectiveness of relevant national authorities and stakeholders in addressing issues related to freedom of expression/media, including through a comprehensive reform of the legal, policy, and regulatory environment.
  • Strengthened media content diversity, based on unbiased, ethical and quality reporting, which would contribute to decrease of information disorder, disinformation and safety of journalists.
  • Enhanced legal and institutional framework on Freedom of Access to Information in line with the Council of Europe standards, including Tromsø Convention.
Reference documents