DRAFT ELECTORAL CODE AMENMDMENTS PROPOSE REPLACING JUDGES WITH COURT EMPLOYEES IN ELECTORAL COMMISSIONS

Noyan Tapan
Dec 02 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN. It is envisaged to discuss in second
reading the draft amendments to the Electoral Code during the last
4-day sittings of the RA National Assembly autumn session to start on
December 4. Prior to that – on December 1 the draft was to be discuused
in the NA Standing Committee of State and Legal Issues. But at the
suggestion of the drafts’ main speaker, member of the Republican
Party of Armenian Samvel Nikoyan, the discussion is postponed until
December 2. The draft was signed by representatives of all the NA
groups and factions, except Justice and National Unity, which had
withdrawn their signatures before the draft’s first reading, because
these factions’ proposal to form the parliament by 100% proportional
electoral system had not been accepted by the other co-authors. It is
noteworthy that the draft does not envisage reviewing the principle of
the NA formation: the proportion of 90 proportional and 41 majoritarian
mandates stipulated by the 2005 amendments to the Electoral Code has
been retained. S. Nikoyan told NT correspon dent that the draft to
be discussed in second reading has been revised based not only on
the proposals received after its adoption in first reading but also
based on the November 7 decision of the RA Constititional Court,
according to which the inclusion of judges in electoral commissions
was recognized as anticonstitutional. The draft authors also revised
the order of forming electoral commissions, which has been in effect
since 2005: court employees will repalce each judge included in
an electoral commission. After the 2007 parliamentary elections,
each member of an electoral commission who was appointed by the NA
People’s Deputy group will also be replaced with court employees and
not judges as was envisaged by the current Electoral Code.