ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS CONTINUE DISCUSSION OF DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO ELECTION CODE

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 24 2006

Armenian parliamentarians continued discussing the draft amendments
to the RA Election Code in the first reading, Tuesday.

Presenting the document, a member of the Republic Party of Armenia
Samvel Nikoyan said that under the bill, the persons having no
citizenship of Armenia will be granted a right to vote in the course
of the elections to the local self-government. The bill says that
secret voting is not only the right but also the duty of a voter.

Electoral registers of servicemen must be prepared at responsible
bodies and not at military units. The bill also reduced the number
of electors at district electoral commissions to make the work of the
electoral commissions easier and more effective. In this connection,
the election commissions will rise in number by 25-30%. The bill
allows observers to control over the voting being next to members of
election commissions. In addition, ballot-papers are to be put into
envelops before their are put into ballot- boxes.

Samvel Nikoyan said some provisions of the bill were not welcomed
by international experts. Thus, the proposal by the National Unity
opposition party to recall the members of election commission if
necessary was criticized by international experts. They think the
given mechanism will make the members of election commissions dependant
on the political forces they were appointed by. They did not welcome
the party’s idea to install cameras at polling stations either. They
think it may exert pressure on voters and violate their right to vote.