NA COMMITTEE ON STATE AND LEGAL ISSUES GIVES POSITIVE CONCLUSION TO LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE ENVISAGING AMENDMENTS AND ADDITIONS TO ELECTORAL CODE
Noyan Tapan
May 02 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. It will be proposed with the positive
conclusion of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Issues
to put the legislative package on making amendments and additions
to the RA Electoral Code on the agendas of the current session
of the parliament and of the regular plenary sittings starting
on May 2. The Committee made a decision about it at the April 28
sitting. The above-mentioned package was worked out by the working
group involving representatives of all the NA factions and the group
and was put into circulation on March 17. Besides the Electoral Code,
the package envisages amendments and additions to the Criminal code
and the law “On Parties” as well. The goal of the latters is to work
out effective mechanisms in the struggle against electoral crimes,
to strengthen the panishment, to raise responsibility of parties in
an electoral process. The worked out package, in essence, is a result
of political agreement. However, the “Ardaroutiun” (Justice) faction
joined the decision with reservations, concerning which the Parliament
will make a decision at the plenary sitting. According to preliminary
statement, in the case of ignoring the faction’s reservations in the
draft to be adopted in the first reading, “Ardaroutiun” will refuse
the co-authorship, taking back the signature. To recap, the faction
objected to the order of forming electoral commissions, particularly to
involvement of judges in them. It also presented proposals of forming
the parliament with 100% proportional electoral order, holding parallel
electronic votion in elections and using mechanism of staining voters’
fingers with ink. It was mentioned at the committee sitting that
conclusions of experts of the Venice Commission of the Council of
Europe and the OSCE Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Office
concerning both above-mentioned package and particularly reservations
of “Ardaroutiun” are also expected soon. After the NA adopts the
package in the first reading, the Standing Committee on State and
Legal Issues intends to initiate enlarged parliament hearings as well.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
