Armenian NA holding hearing of amendments to Armenia`s Election Code
ArmInfo. On October 8, parliamentary hearings are being held in the National Assembly of Armenia dedicated to the scandalous amendments to the Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia.
On October 24, the National Assembly of Armenia approved in the first reading the amendments to the Electoral Code proposed by the Ministry of Justice, which will allow holding new elections in the event of a state of emergency or martial law. 65 deputies voted "for" and 28 deputies voted "against".
Today, during the hearings, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Armenuhi Harutyunyan noted that after the first reading, by the decision of the Chairman of the NA Committee on State and Legal Affairs Vladimir Vardanyan, a working group was formed that is working to bring this provision into line with the Constitution, which prohibits holding elections during a state of emergency or martial law. After numerous discussions, a preliminary version was adopted, which will be submitted to the government of the country. In particular, the new regulation stipulates that elections are suspended from the moment the decision to introduce a state of emergency or martial law comes into force.
In addition, if the elections are scheduled for the day before 20:00 before the declaration of a state of emergency and martial law, the election process is suspended. As Harutyunyan noted, if the provisions are introduced after 20:00, that is, before the election results are summarized and the protocols are drawn up, the voting results will continue at those polling stations where vote counting is possible, after which the process is also suspended. The purpose of this provision is to ensure that the election results are not reset. If necessary, the Central Electoral Commission can announce a new vote if necessary.
In general, as the Deputy Minister noted, the amendments to the Electoral Code of Armenia are aimed at further developing the country's democratic institutions. One of the important components of the updated EC will be the expansion of state guarantees for persons with mobility issues in the exercise of their constitutional rights. For these purposes, it is planned to develop a set of measures aimed at solving this problem.
The draft requires that parties and blocs participating in the elections provide the Anti-Corruption Commission with data on the movement of funds in their bank accounts every three working days - from the moment of registration of the lists until the third day after the elections. After summarizing the information, the commission is obliged to publish the report on its website.
Meanwhile, the opposition has already expressed its concerns that the authorities will have the opportunity to reproduce. In particular, if the election results are predictable, the authorities may provoke an emergency situation in order to interrupt the voting process. Secretary of the opposition faction "Armenia" Artsvik Minasyan reported that the faction's deputies submitted their proposals and comments to the commission on state and legal issues today.
The new Electoral Code of Armenia was adopted in 2021. Among its key changes is the abandonment of the rating system of elections. Until 2025, the Corruption Prevention Commission will oversee the financial reporting of parties, and the Central Electoral Commission will oversee the budgets of election campaigns. However, after 2025, this system is planned to be revised, since the Corruption Prevention Commission is accountable to the government, which raises doubts about its independence.
On October 24, the National Assembly of Armenia approved in the first reading the amendments to the Electoral Code proposed by the Ministry of Justice, which will allow holding new elections in the event of a state of emergency or martial law. 65 deputies voted "for" and 28 deputies voted "against".
Today, during the hearings, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Armenuhi Harutyunyan noted that after the first reading, by the decision of the Chairman of the NA Committee on State and Legal Affairs Vladimir Vardanyan, a working group was formed that is working to bring this provision into line with the Constitution, which prohibits holding elections during a state of emergency or martial law. After numerous discussions, a preliminary version was adopted, which will be submitted to the government of the country. In particular, the new regulation stipulates that elections are suspended from the moment the decision to introduce a state of emergency or martial law comes into force.
In addition, if the elections are scheduled for the day before 20:00 before the declaration of a state of emergency and martial law, the election process is suspended. As Harutyunyan noted, if the provisions are introduced after 20:00, that is, before the election results are summarized and the protocols are drawn up, the voting results will continue at those polling stations where vote counting is possible, after which the process is also suspended. The purpose of this provision is to ensure that the election results are not reset. If necessary, the Central Electoral Commission can announce a new vote if necessary.
In general, as the Deputy Minister noted, the amendments to the Electoral Code of Armenia are aimed at further developing the country's democratic institutions. One of the important components of the updated EC will be the expansion of state guarantees for persons with mobility issues in the exercise of their constitutional rights. For these purposes, it is planned to develop a set of measures aimed at solving this problem.
The draft requires that parties and blocs participating in the elections provide the Anti-Corruption Commission with data on the movement of funds in their bank accounts every three working days - from the moment of registration of the lists until the third day after the elections. After summarizing the information, the commission is obliged to publish the report on its website.
Meanwhile, the opposition has already expressed its concerns that the authorities will have the opportunity to reproduce. In particular, if the election results are predictable, the authorities may provoke an emergency situation in order to interrupt the voting process. Secretary of the opposition faction "Armenia" Artsvik Minasyan reported that the faction's deputies submitted their proposals and comments to the commission on state and legal issues today.
The new Electoral Code of Armenia was adopted in 2021. Among its key changes is the abandonment of the rating system of elections. Until 2025, the Corruption Prevention Commission will oversee the financial reporting of parties, and the Central Electoral Commission will oversee the budgets of election campaigns. However, after 2025, this system is planned to be revised, since the Corruption Prevention Commission is accountable to the government, which raises doubts about its independence.