The joint opinion on the Electoral Code of Armenia (as of 26 May 2011) underlines that “[t]he separation of state resources from party and candidate resources has been a problem cited in every OSCE/ODIHR election report since 1996. The governing party network exercises influence on national government, but also the governors' offices and local self-government in most regions. During a national election, the resources under the control of these offices are called on to campaign on behalf of the government candidates. This creates a disparity in resources available with the added problem of creating the perception that employees are obligated to work for, attend rallies on behalf of and vote for the government candidates for fear for their employment. This practice is neither in conformity with the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters, where the principle of equality of opportunity entails a neutral attitude by state authorities,[5nowith OSCE commitments which call for a separation of party and State and campaigning on the basis of equal treatment. The changes to Articles 19 and 22, if implemented fully and properly, could contribute significantly to address problems noted in past elections.”