ARMENIAN WOMEN DEMAND HIGHER QUOTA IN ELECTION CODE

Panorama.am
15:37 27/09/06

Armenian women have launched a movement trying to make amendments
in the Election Code. According to proposed changes, the women say
the quota should be 25% instead of present 5%. This means that every
fourth person in proportional list must be a woman.

Ruzan Khachatryan, member of People’s Party of Armenia, told a
press conference today this quota is made to please international
institutions, and European Parliament in particular, to show how
democratic Armenia is.

Twenty-two parties have joined this initiative.

Khachatryan, however, is pessimistic and thinks it will be knocked
down because Armenian Republican Party (HHK), the leading force in
the parliament, has not joined the effort. Khachatryan believes women
can compete with men without quota in case elections are free and
fair.