THE LAW SHOULD HAVE BEEN PASSED WITH NO AGAINST VOTES AND ABSTENTIONS EDITORIAL

Yerkir.am
March 02, 2007

This week the National Assembly passed the package of legislative
amendments proposed by the government to institutionalize dual
citizenship.

66 deputies voted for the law, 5 voted against and one
abstained. Leader of ARF’s parliamentary faction Hrayr KARAPETIAN
believes it would be better if this package that has pan-Armenian
significance would have been passed with no against votes and
abstentions.

At a press conference held in Urbat (Friday) Club on February
27 Karapetian stated that dual citizenship will contribute to
strengthening of Armenia, economic development as well as strengthening
of the Armenian lobby abroad.

"Dual citizenship derives from the necessity to restore historical
justice for our nation," Karapetian stated adding that this is not
only about Armenians living abroad as a result of the Genocide but
also about those who left Armenia in the dark and cold years that
followed Armenia’s independence.

ARF has supported the idea of dual citizenship for a long time and
the legal institutionalization of dual citizenship was a logical
continuation of ARF’s efforts in this direction. Commenting on the
rights and obligations of persons with dual citizenship Karapetian
noted that according to this law, all Armenians who will apply to
get Armenian citizenship will have the same rights and obligations
as Armenian citizens under the constitution.

"We should not overcomplicate dual citizenship. I can see that not only
politicians but also some mass media keep saying that there are still
many unanswered questions in what relates to dual citizenship. There
are no unanswered questions," Karapetian stated noting that the rights
and obligations are the same with the exception of the right to vote
and be elected.

"ARF was very clear about the fact that it was necessary to take an
approach similar to the one taken by states that have large Diasporas
like Israel, Ireland, Mexico. The ideal option would be to have equal
rights and obligations for everyone.

However, since some political and not legal issues were raised,
ARF accepted some compromises taking into consideration the law’s
importance as a political document," Karapetian said adding that the
proposal made by the Republican Party to grant a status of a legal
resident was not acceptable for the ARF. According to this proposal,
only those persons with dual citizenship would be able to vote who
have lived in Armenia for some time and paid taxes.

"It was unacceptable for us to pass a law and put limitations that
would make the law dysfunctional. We agreed only to the provision
according to which persons with dual citizenship will be able to vote
only if they have Armenian registration," Karapetian said.

Commenting on the question whether ARF is going to appeal to the
Constitutional Court to question the constitutionality of this
provision, Karapetian stated that this issue is currently under
discussion and no final decision has been made so far. If some
difficulties arise while the law is already in force, this option
might be possible.

Look for sensations in other parties’ lists

"Don’t look for any sensations in our party list, you can look for
them in other parties’ lists," Karapetian advised the journalists.

ARF’s party list will be finalized on March 3 when it is presented to
the Central Electoral Commission. Karapetian said no matter who is
in the party list ARF will continue its policy line. ARF has always
supported the idea of 100% proportional electoral system therefore,
the party will concentrate on proportional mandates even though the
possibility for nominating candidates under majoritarian system is
not excluded either.

As to the traditional transfers from one party to another, some
politicians’ habit of changing parties is unacceptable for ARF.

Karapetian believes the voters can see this and will express their
will during the elections. Commenting on ARF’s expectations from the
elections Karapetian noted that ARF will have a larger representation
in the new parliament than today based on the work conducted in the
incumbent parliament as well as ARF’s extra-parliamentary activities.