EXECUTIVE PREFERS TO HAVE INDIRECT ELECTIONS FOR MAYOR

Panorama.am
16:31 18/10/2007

Yerevan mayor will be elected in indirect elections.

There will be only proportional system in those elections. The
candidate that will collect 40 percent of votes of 55 members of elders
will become the mayor. The mayor is going to have more powers. He or
she will have the right to set local taxes and dues…. These other
the suggestions included in the draft law "On Yerevan city local
self-government and territorial management" that has been approved
in the executive session today.

Justice Minister Gevorg Danielyan told reporters today that, during
the discussion of the draft, serious arguments came about, as a result
of which, the draft will be put under interagency discussion for one
more week, after which, a meeting will be held at the prime minister.

The European experience has been studied for the election of the mayor
and the German model has been taken as an example. "There will be
no majority system in the elections. Each party will represent its
own candidate," Danielyan said, also saying that candidate may also
be non-partisan.

The bill also envisages naming the communities into administrative
areas. It also suggests uniting Nubarashen with Erebuni and Norq-Marash
with Avan. At this moment, the draft sets the maximum number of
territorial units as 12 and the least number as 8. The number of
elders in the territorial unit will be conditioned by the number
of the population. Since the territorial units will no longer be
local-self government bodies, their leaders will not be elected
but appointed by the mayor. "They, in fact, will be employees,"
the justice minister said.

The constitutional reforms of 2005 required amendments in the law since
Yerevan was defined a community instead of a local-self government
body. This bill must be submitted to the discussion of the National
Assembly.