Two potential candidates for the Feb 18 presidential election in Armenia Pavlik Sargsyan and Robert Simonyan made a row during the Tuesday meeting of the Central Election Commission.
They accused the Commission of extortion and said that the requirement that a presidential candidate should pay a $20,000 election deposit is a direct violation of a citizen's right to run for presidency.
Sargsyan said that it is absurd to require $20,000 in a country where 95% of residents are poor.
Chairman of the Commission Tigran Mukuchyan said that the Commission had no authority to discuss the requirements of the Electoral Code. "The requirements set for presidential candidates are equal for all people wishing to run for presidency," he said.
15 people are going to run in the presidential race: President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, former Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan, leader of Heritage party Raffi Hovhannisian, leader of Self-Determination Union Paruyr Hayrikyan, leader of National Accord party Aram Harutyunyan, former Foreign Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Arman Melikyan, member of Prosperous Armenia Ruben Ayvazyan, non-partisan Taron Abrahamyan, leader of Progressive Socialist Party Robert Aharonyan, political scientist Andrias Ghukasyan, historian Vartan Sedrakyan, head of Kashatagh NGO Robert Simonyan, pensioner Pavlik Sargsyan, unemployed Mher Hayrikyan and President of National Press Club Narine Mkrtchyan.
8 of them have not yet paid the 8mln AMD ($20,000) election deposit and have been given time for so doing till Jan 10 02:00 PM.