NDP REPRESENTS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE AMENDMENTS OF THE ELECTORAL CODE

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[04:05 pm] 23 June, 2006

"The amendments to the Electoral Code are meant to contribute to the
reduction of the number of electoral fabrications", announced Shavarsh
Kocharyan, the head of the National Democratic Party administration
in club "Pastark".

Before referring to the conclusion of the Venice Commission about the
EC amendments, Mr. Kocharyan reminded that the electoral process in
conditioned not only by the Electoral Code by also by the will of the
authorities as well as of the opposition. According to Kocharyan, the
draft that the NDP represented to the Venice Commission was something
exclusive as both the RA authorities and the opposition signed under
it. Besides, "It also showed the absence of will of the authorities
and the opposition in the electoral process".

According to Shavarsh Kocharyan, one of the most importance omissions
of the draft Electoral Code is the correlation of the proportional and
majority electoral systems. "If we want to have stable executive branch
of power the Parliament must be more politicized. Those individuals
who are elected by the majority system are the floating votes which
tend from here to there and do not contribute to stability. We must
have a 100% proportional system".

Mr. Kocharyan is also worried about the way of forming the electoral
committees. He thinks that the authorities and the opposition must have
equal quantity of members in the committees, the members must not be
appointed by the President of the country and they must not be judges.

Mr. Kocharyan also said that the NDP does not have ambitions and
their version is open for broad discussions.