ArmInfo. Those who promised to come and vote in favor of amending the Electoral Code simply did not come to a vote, and the RPA torpedoed the adoption of this bill. This was stated by the secretary of the Yelk faction Gevorg Georgisyan at a briefing in the National Assembly of Armenia on October 26.
When asked who were the MPs who promised to vote "for" amendments to the EC, but deceived the expectations of the representatives of the Yelk faction, the MP said that they were representatives of the Tsarukyan Bloc faction, ARF Dashnaktsutyun and those MPs who left the Republican faction. He noted that the collection of signatures on holding an extraordinary meeting to re-discuss the issue of amending the EC was carried out by representatives of the Tsarukyan Bloc faction. "I hope that on Monday, at an extraordinary meeting of the parliament, it will be decided to amend and supplement the EC. However, even if this does not happen, we are confident both in our abilities and in successfull holding of elections without falsifications, " Georgisyan said, stressing that the elections to the Council of Elders of Yerevan were the main evidence of this.
In turn, the secretary of the "Tsarukyan Bloc" faction Vahe Enfiajyan noted that the representatives of the faction had taken the initiative to collect signatures and holding an extraordinary meeting, as in the new political situation the country needs a new Electoral Code. He noted that this requirement is also being put forward by extra-parliamentary forces. "I want to note that back in 2017 in the program of our bloc it was noted that we are supporters of the proportional electoral system. And we hope that on Monday there will be substantial discussions regarding this draft law and the decision will be positive," Enfiajyan concluded.
Vahram Baghdasaryan, Head of the Republican Party faction, noted that the faction was guided not by personal interests, but by the interests of the country in the matter of amending the Electoral Code. He noted that supporters of Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan a year later will acknowledge their mistake in this matter if they have enough courage.
As for the fact that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that RPA representatives should be interested in introducing amendments to the EC, Baghdasaryan said: "We are eternally grateful to Nikol Pashinyan for his advice, however, I don't think that we are pursuing one single goal - to get at any cost to the parliament. We have repeatedly stated and declare once again that we do not support the introduction of amendments to the Electoral Code one month before the elections, "said the head of the RPA faction. "What will the parliament be like if we hold elections in a hurry? We need to think about this, and not about how to get 1 or 2 percent more votes," the MP said.
Baghdasaryan pointed out the fact that the factions reached an agreement that early elections will be held in May or June 2019, after which a statement on this issue will be made. "It would show the whole world that even after the internal political events in Armenia, the forces found the strength to make a common statement. And now you will see what the new parliament will be like and whether it corresponds to the national policy",concluded the head of the RPA, noting that the National Assembly is working as usual, and there was no need to hold early elections until 2022.
Head of the ARF "Dashnaktsutyun" faction Armen Rustamyan stated that the faction did not participate in collecting signatures for an extraordinary meeting of the parliament, which will consider the draft reform of the Electoral Code, since it is not a co-author of this document and its proposals were not included in the draft. Rustamyan noted that representatives of the ARFD have repeatedly noted that the faction had come up with proposals, which, however, were not adopted and submitted to the EC, therefore, ARFD is against this draft law.
The head of the ARF "Dashnaktsutyun" also recalled what points were proposed by the representatives of the party in the draft law on amendments to the Electoral Code. "We very clearly stated that we offer an open proportional system. And we do not understand why this proposal was not accepted. All the arguments are groundless and illogical. Proportional elections with open lists are democratic. In fact, a person chooses not only a list, but candidates as well," Rustamyan stressed. The remaining proposals of the ARFD concerned the maximum threshold for the representation of a political force, which should not exceed 2/3 of the mandates so that no political force could make solely important decisions. "Despite this, during the voting we voted" in favor "of making amendments and changes to the EC, and in the same way we will vote on Monday," Rustamyan concluded.
To note, on October 22 the Armenian parliament rejected in its first reading the draft law on introducing amendments and additions to the Electoral Code of Armenia with 56 votes in favor and 3 against. Meanwhile, this constitutional law was to be adopted by 3/5 of the votes of MPs. On Tuesday, Naira Zohrabyan, a deputy from the Tsarukyan Bloc faction, began collecting signatures for an extraordinary meeting to re-discuss the bill on amending the EC. An extraordinary meeting of the parliament will take place on October 29 at 11:00am.