ArmInfo. The commission on reforming the electoral legislation of Armenia will return to the consideration of issues related to the reduction of the threshold and the rates of the electoral deposit, Secretary of the Commission Daniel Ioannisyan stated on October 9.
According to him, currently it is proposed to amend the Electoral Code, according to which the threshold for passing to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia will be 4% for parties, and 6% for blocs. At the same time, it is proposed to set the rate of the election deposit in the amount of 7.5 million drams. The secretary of the commission stressed that earlier it was proposed to establish a pledge rate of 10 million drams, however, after discussions with various public organizations and political forces, this amount was reduced. The secretary of the commission also stressed the need to quickly review the amendments, since there is not much time left for holding early parliamentary elections. According to the Constitution, 30-45 days are allocated for holding early elections. Therefore, the document must be taken for a specified period of time. Moreover, it is necessary to ensure the collection of the necessary signatures for the nomination of political forces, to conduct an election campaign. "If we take 10 days to collect signatures, then in fact there will be 4-5 days left for the election campaign," stated Ioannisyan.
According to former MP Arshak Sadoyan, the proposed electoral deposit rate will be an easy task for the oligarchs, but for many political forces this can be an insurmountable obstacle. In addition, according to the deputy, it is necessary to reduce the threshold, especially for blocs.
Nevertheless, according to the Heritage party, this political force supports the concept of developing electoral legislation. Despite the fact that the party insists on setting a 3% barrier for parties and 5% for blocs, and lowering the stakes of the election deposit to 5 million drams, however, the proposed changes are a significant step forward. The draft presents proposals not only from the Heritage Party, but also from other political forces and international organizations. "We hope that as a result of the amendments, parliamentary elections based on democratic values will be held in Armenia," the party said.
To recall by the decision of Nikol Pashinyan, a commission was established under the Prime Minister to reform the electoral legislation. After discussions with representatives of civil society and political forces, the special commission will submit draft amendments to the Electoral Code and laws concerning the organization of elections to the Prime Minister. The Commission is headed by First Deputy Prime Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, and Daniel Ioannisyan, the head of the Informed Citizens Association, has been appointed secretary.