KOCHARIAN AGAINST DRASTIC CHANGES IN ELECTION CODE

ARMENPRESS
Aug 30 2006

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS: Viktor Soghomonian, a spokesman for
Armenian president Robert Kocharian, said today the president was
against a drastic change in the election law that would eliminate
the so-called majoritarian or single-mandate election system.

Soghomonian singled out two major reasons to explain why Kocharian
was against a system when all parliament members are elected under
the so-called proportional system or by party lists.

The first reason is that members of the ruling coalition had agreed
to retain the current system when 41 seats of the 131-member National
Assembly are contested by contenders in single-mandate constituencies
and 90 seats by parties. He said Kocharian is against revision of
this sort of agreements.

Soghomonian said the second reason stemmed from the imperfect political
system of the country. He said Kocharian believes that it would be
wrong to cut electors from the candidates and constituencies.

Soghomonian also downplayed media speculations about tension between
Kocharian and his defense minister Serzh Sarkisian, saying also there
is no tension between the Republican Party of prime minister Margarian
and the Prosperous Armenia, which are seen as the two major rivals
in 2007 parliamentary polls.

Soghomonian said also Kocharian was not mulling joining a political
party. He said neither he nor any other member of Kocharian’s staff
were going to join a party as long as the president remained not
affiliated.