The dailies reported on the May 20 press conference held by Paruyr Hayrikyan, leader of the Union for Self-Determination and the AIM+ Bloc and Chairman of the ROA Presidential Commission on Human Rights. He told reporters about the results of his Bloc’s checking of registered voter lists revealed many inaccuracies. In some places, especially towns, 20-30% of the names included in the lists were deceased or persons who had emigrated and that under-aged teenagers were also in the lists. Hayrikiyan does not believe that these errors were made unintentionally. Hayrikyan said that the situation creates serious concerns, especially considering the precedents set in the past. He called on voters to be actively involved in the correction of these errors.

Hayastani Hanrapetutyun and Hayots Ashkhar reported on a May 20 press conference held by Dr. Lyudmila Harutiunyan, well-known Armenian sociologist and leader of the newly-founded Worthy Future Party. Harutiunyan said that one serious problem is voters’ low level of knowledge about electoral processes and that most voters are not even able to distinguish between the proportional and majoritarian systems. Her other concern is the existence of negative campaigning. Regarding her Party's ratings, she said that it had substantially increased. Harutiunyan labeled as unacceptable and false the opinion that Worthy Future is one of the reserve parties of the Unity bloc and said that is an example of negative campaigning

On May 22 all dailies reported on a press conference held by the leaders of the Communist Party of Armenia on May 21. Communist Party leader Sergey Badalyan, National Assembly Communist Party faction member Gagik Tadevossyan and leader of the Yerevan City Communist Party organization, Yura Manoukyan explained that if the elections are free and fair the Communist Party will get the largest number of votes. According these leaders, boters are more informed about candidates now than in the last Assembly election in 1995 and precinct-level electoral commissions are more balanced this time around. However, there is a concern that certain forces will try to repeat the scenario of 1995 parliamentary elections when results were falsified. The Communist Party leaders claimed that if their party does not get the most number of votes, then they will consider the results of the elections as having been falsified. The party leaders predicted that the main contest will take place between the Communist Party and the Unity Bloc and that in free and fair elections they also would expect to see the National Democratic Union and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation take seats. The various other parties will not be represented in Parliament and soon will disappear --most of them, according to the Communists leaders, are splinters of the former ruling party, the Armenian National Movement.

In a May 21 press conference, Hrant Bagratyan, leader of the Freedom Party and former Prime-Minister of Armenia (1993-96) said that the campaign appeared to be less fair than he had expected. Among the violations the Freedom Party has brought to the attention of the Central Electoral Commission are problems with inaccuracies in the registered voter lists. According to Bagratyan, his Party has revealed 2,200 people who either are deceased or who have emigrated. Bagratyan said that he has no illusions about his Party’s chances and that he will be happy if his Party gains more than one percent of the vote. Bagratyan accepted that his Freedom party was born from the Armenian National Movement, the former ruling party.

Hayastani Hanrapetutyun, Hayots Ashkhar and Aravot printed a May 21 official announcement made by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia. The announcement states that in general the campaign is taking place without serious violations of the law. However, it does emphasize the necessity to follow strictly the provisions of the Articles 18-23 of the Electoral Code regarding the regulation of campaigns. In particular, the candidates and parties and blocs running the campaign should avoid the involvement of foreign citizens and organizations and clerical and benevolent organizations. The Office of the Prosecutor General stated that it would take measures against those persons and organizations violating these provisions of the Electoral Code.

In its May 22 issues, Azg reporters asked leaders of several parties and blocs about the possibilities for free and fair elections. According to Paruyr Hayrikyan, leader of the Union for Self-Determination and AIM+ Bloc, his Party has already found more than 10,000 incorrect names on the registered voter lists. At the same time, a Communist Party representative said that only his Party and the National Democratic Union (NDU) are investigating the lists and that they had found thousands of inaccuracies that were reported to mayor’s offices. Semyon Baghdasaryan, head of NDU campaign headquarters said that the lists are in "complete chaos" and that many citizens who should be on the lists are not. The NDU and ARF Dashnakstutiun have decided to train their proxies and representatives at the precinct election commission level in how to avoid from these kinds of falsifications on election day. They also printed methodological manuals on the "methods" of violations. Hrant Khachatryan a leader of the Law and Unity Bloc says that there needs to be an active struggle against violators of the law and groups that terrorize and corrupt voters. Rouben Mirzakahanyan, Chairman of the Ramkavar-Azatakan Party of Armenia explained that free and fair elections in Armenia is a much more complicated problem than simply the elaboration of methods ensuring the transparency of the elections. According to him, free and fair elections will be possible in Armenia only when Armenian society becomes free -- today Armenian society is not free because of the severe social conditions under which the population lives.

In a May 21 extraordinary meeting, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) reversed an earlier decision that would have allowed citizens to vote in precincts of their temporary residence. Vahe Varsanyan, CEC member representing the National Democratic Union, had appealed to the courts against the earlier CEC decision claiming that it contradicted provisions of the Electoral Code. During the May 21 meeting, the CEC decided to agree with Varsanyan's arguments and voted to permit citizens to vote only in the precincts where they have permanent registration. Varsanyan said he was satisfied with the CEC decision and that he will cancel his court appeal.