26. It should be noted that the rapporteurs’ interlocutors from the government of Armenia, and also from several opposition parties and non-governmental organisations, welcomed the changes and clarifications introduced by the draft amendments. Nevertheless, it is imperative to keep a close eye on the potential consequences of states of emergency on electoral processes, bearing in mind the risks of misuse. While the elections may be, in principle, suspended during a time of emergency, it is problematic to suspend or even terminate elections that have already started. Terminating the electoral process after voters have already cast their votes (on or after the voting day) is even more perilous. Once the will of the electorate has been established (although not yet known as the votes have yet to be counted), it should be respected and protected. Even in the event of an emergency, the election process should not be terminated at this stage without sufficient cause. While the authorities may be unable to summarise the votes and determine the results during that time, it is still possible to postpone the vote counting until the state of emergency has ended. If the emergency lasts for a longer period, the counting should even be organised during the state of emergency; depending on the circumstances, it could for example be organised further away from the actual location of emergency, or it could be carried out once the situation has improved (even though the state of emergency has not yet been lifted).