Azg, Aravot, Hayots Ashkhar and Yerkir filed reports on a press conference held by the leaders of the AIM+ Bloc on May 10. Bloc members are the Union for Self-Determination (Chairman, Paruyr Hayrikyan) and the Homeland-Diaspora sociopolitical organization (Chairman, Hrach Ter-Yesayan). Paruir Hayrikyan explained that his party is participating in the elections allied with another party for the first time and that if the elections are free and fair, the AIM+ bloc will achieve serious results. He explained his optimism by the fact that his party, unlike half of the 21 parties and blocs participating on the proportional list, is well-known by the population. Even among the well-known parties, Hayrikyan claimed, the Union of Self-Determination has an image as the only party in Armenia whose ideology is based on Christian principles. He warned his opponents to be cautious and to avoid attacking his Bloc, explaining that he had collected compromising materials against many candidates running in the upcoming election. Hayrikyan said that although there already had been violations of the law and various incidents during the campaign, "the highest authorities have no connection to those violations."

Azg, Hayots Ashkhar and Oragir reported on Armenian National Movement (HHSh) leader Vano Siradeghyan's meeting with voters and party members in Vanadzor (center of Lori Marz). Siradeghyan said that the younger members of the party still are able to work actively during the campaign and that they will continue to struggle against the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktutiun) -- their principal ideological rival. That struggle, Siradeghyan said, should take place inside rather than outside of Parliament. He thinks that a boycott of the election is politically wrong.

Hayots Ashkhar and Yerkir reported about the meetings of Armenian Revolutionary Federation leader Vahan Hovhannissyan in Kotayk Marz. Hovhannissyan said that voters should know not only the platforms of candidates, but also their past activities. The ARF candidates, claimed Hovhannissyan, are not discredited by their past activities. He said that these elections are the first opportunity for the ARF to run for Parliament and that voters can be sure that the party will implement all the promises it makes during the campaign.

Hayots Ashkhar reported about the meeting of the Democratic Party leader Aram Sargssyan (first candidate in the Party's list on proportional vote and majoritarian candidate in Electoral District 25 in Yerevan). According to Sargssyan, violations and incidents occurring during the campaign can be explained by the existing norm providing immunity to members of the National Assembly and that many candidates are running only to get the protection of that immunity. He is confident that at least 40-50% of the candidates would not be running for the May 30 election if immunity did not exist. The primary goal of the Democratic Party in the new Parliament will be to promote the adoption of a law on the removal of immunity and on providing for the recall of deputies.

Aravot and Hayots Ashkhar reported that Artashes Geghamyan, Chairman of the Law and Unity Bloc, met on May 12 with the students and faculty of Yerevan State University where he declared that Samvel Babayan (Defense Minister of Nagorno Kharabagh) is providing only moral support to the Bloc. He stated that the only way to overcome the current crisis in Armenia is to develop and implement jointly with other major parties a comprehensive national program for the salvation of the nation.

Aravot, Hayots Ashkhar, Azg and Hayastani Hanrapetutiun reported that on May 12 Aram Sargssyan, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Armenia, along with four leading members of the party met with journalists. Sargssyan expressed confidence that his party will get more than 5 percent of the 131 seats in the new Armenian Parliament. According to Sargssyan, the absence of social-democratic forces in the current Parliament has resulted in an unbalanced political spectrum and that this situation has weakened the development of inter-parliamentary relations with other countries. He expressed his readiness to cooperate with other social-democratic forces in the new Parliament, particularly with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktutiun). He expressed doubts that his party would cooperate with the Communist Party of Armenia.

On May 12 journalists had a chance to meet with Paruir Hayrikyan, Chairman of the AIM+ Bloc, as reported in Hayk, Hayots Ashkhar and Hayastani Hanrapetutiun. Hayrikyan stated that 16 million drams (about 30,000 USD) had been spent on his Bloc’s campaign with plans to spend another 10 million drams. According to Hayrikyan, the party will get 33-34 percent of the seats in the new National Assembly and that his Bloc has a stable electorate made up of more than 60,000 citizens. Questions were posed to Hayrikyan concerning one of his campaign innovations – a written agreement with voters stating, "Give me your vote and we will give you legal protection." Hayrikyan does not believe that this practice is an election bribe because it is simply a written moral agreement that is made orally between voters and candidates. Promising "give me your votes and I will do this for you" during campaigns occurs in many civilized countries, explained Hayrikyan.

Shogher Matevossyan, Chairman of the Shamiram Party, also met with journalists on May 12. As Aravot, Hayots Ashkhar, Hayk and Hayastani Hanrapetutiun wrote, Matevossyan believes that democratic elections are not possible in Armenia in the next 30 years. She is not sure whether her party will meet the 5 percent threshold for proportional seats in the new Assembly. According to Matevossyan, today it is the Shamiram Party that supports the Armenian National Movement Party and not the reverse as in the past.

Hayastani Hanrapetutiun reported on a seminar organized on May 8 by the ROA Constitutional Court for members of general jurisdiction courts and electoral commissions entitled, "NA Elections: Judicial Protection of the Right to Vote." The main presentation was made by Gagik Harutiunyan, Chairman of the Constitutional Court. He justified the importance of the seminar stating that there are a number of factors that could stimulate violations of the law and falsifications of results during the elections and that the courts must be ready to deal with the resulting cases. Among the factors mentioned by Harutiunyan were the low legal conscience of the population, ambiguities in the laws, insufficient protection of human rights, as well as the large number of competing candidates (about 10 candidates for one seat, on average). However, he believes that the new judicial system of Armenia is capable of protecting the right to vote, if it functions accurately, impartially, and is not corrupted. The role of the Constitutional Court in the resolution of disputes related to the elections, according to Harutiunyan, should be to reveal to what extent the constitutional rights of equal vote and secrecy of ballot have been preserved during the election.

Harutiunyan said that unlike many countries, the Armenian Constitutional Court has no power to review the entire election process. Violations of law occurring during preparation, organization, and voting periods are reviewed by the courts of general jurisdiction. One of his most serious concerns regarding the current election is that although 46,700 invalid and incorrect signatures were found just in the lists submitted by the parties running for proportional votes, not one of these instances became the subject of legal proceedings.