‘It’s about implementation’ EU democracy promotion in Armenia and its influence on electoral policies Masterthesis: ‘It’s about implementation’: EU democracy promotion in Armenia and its influence on electoral policies Jurriaan van Hellemond: s4351339 December 2014 MSc Human Geography Europe: Borders, Identity and Governance Nijmegen, The Netherlands Supervisor: Dr. Olivier Kramsch Second reader: Dr. Martin van der Velde II Acknowledgments An interest in the borders of the EU and a focus on Eastern Europe — those were the starting concepts of this thesis. A research process of 15 months during which I’ve moved abroad, learned a lot about myself and the world around me, and visited places I would never thought of going to at the start of my academic career back in 2008. I would first like to thank my supervisor Mr. Kramsch (Olivier) who has been supportive of my decision to jump into this unusual research topic; reviewing the borders of the EU and its subsequent external governance. Through his strict office hours system he made me visit Nijmegen on a regular basis which, lacking an OV-jaarkaart, was quite a hassle. However, the meeting we had were always productive and helped me a lot in the completion of this thesis. I would also like to thank Mr. Van der Velde who answered practical question in regards to my internship and who acts as a second reader for this thesis. I want to thank all the members of my internship organization in Armenia, ICHD, who supported me in my research efforts, provided me with a friendly and productive working environment and were available at any moment to answer questions surrounding my thesis. I would also like to thank the consulted experts within this thesis for their willingness to participate and appreciate their provided knowledge and expertise. My time in Armenia wouldn’t have been the same without my amazing roommates at ‘Bakunts House.’ Laura and Leslie, you made me instantly feel at home in Armenia and helped me to integrate into Yerevan’s social life at a record-breaking pace. I will never forget the interesting ScREenery events and the amazing khorovatzes organized at the house. I also appreciate the support I received from my Dutch roommates of the ‘LN6’ who urged me to make the daily trips towards the library or ‘UBB’ and would join me on regular ‘brainstorming’ lunch and coffee breaks; lifting spirits up. Last but not least I want to thank my parents Suzanne Davids and Guus van Hellemond who have always been 100% supportive of my decisions and subsequent stay in Armenia. You were always ready to provide advice and feedback on my research and have supported me tremendously in the subsequent career decisions I am currently pursuing. III List of Abbreviations AA—Association Agreement HR — Human Rights ANC — Armenian National Congress ICHD — International Center for Human Development ALDE —Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe IFES — International Foundation for Electoral Systems AP—Action Plan IGO — International governmental CAQDAS – Computer Assisted Qualitative organization Data Analysis Software NGO — Non-governmental organization CEC — Central Electoral Commission NIP—National Indicative Program CGPEM—Code of Good Practices in Electoral Matters ODIHR—Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights CoE — Council of Europe OSCE – Organization for Security and CU—Custom Union Cooperation in Europa DCFTA—Deep and Comprehensive Free OSF/OSI — Open Society Foundation Trade Agreement PACE—Parliamentary Assembly of the EaP—Eastern Partnership Council of Europe EEAS—European External Action Service PCA—Partnership and Cooperation Agreement EEG—European external governance PEC — Precinct Electoral Commission ENC—European Neighborhood Countries RA—Republic of Armenia ENP — European Neighborhood Policy RSC — Regional Studies Center ENPI—European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument TEC— Territorial Electoral Commission EOM—Electoral Observation Mission TI — Transparency International EP—European Parliament UN — United Nations EU — European Union USA—United States of America EPP — Europeans People Party USSR—Union of Soviet Socialist Republics EUFoA—European Friends of Armenia VC—Venice Commission GO’s — Governmental Organizations YSU—Yerevan State University IV Table of Content Acknowledgments ..............................................................................................................................III List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... IV 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 1.1 EU: the ENP and the EaP ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Armenia ................................................................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Research goals and questions ............................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Relevance .............................................................................................................................................. 6 1.4.1 Scientific relevance ........................................................................................................................ 6 1.4.2 Societal relevance .......................................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Structure ............................................................................................................................................... 7 2. Theoretical framework .....................................................................................................................9 2.1 Europeanization .................................................................................................................................... 9 2.1.1 Europeanization, a paradigm ......................................................................................................... 9 2.1.2 Realism and rationalism ............................................................................................................... 11 2.1.3 Constructivism ............................................................................................................................. 12 2.2 Modes of external governance ........................................................................................................... 13 2.2.1 Hierarchical governance .............................................................................................................. 15 2.2.2 Network Governance ................................................................................................................... 16 2.2.3 Market Governance ..................................................................................................................... 16 2.3 Policy transfer and convergence ......................................................................................................... 17 2.4 The normative power of the EU and democracy promotion .............................................................. 20 2.5 External governance within the ENP and EaP ..................................................................................... 22 2.6 Russia’s role in the Eastern Neighbourhood ....................................................................................... 24 2.7 Conclusion: Armenia within the ENP .................................................................................................. 25 3. Methods ........................................................................................................................................ 27 3.1 Research methods ............................................................................................................................... 27 3.2 Operationalization of concepts ........................................................................................................... 28 3.2.1 Armenian electoral policies ......................................................................................................... 28 3.2.2 Domestic impact: ENP/EaP influence .......................................................................................... 29 3.2.3 Domestic impact: Other (external) parties .................................................................................. 30 3.3 Data collection .................................................................................................................................... 31 3.3.1 Content analysis ........................................................................................................................... 31 3.3.2 Interviews ..................................................................................................................................... 31 3.4 Data analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 34 V 3.4.1 Content analysis ........................................................................................................................... 34 3.4.2 Interviews ........................................................................................................................................