RA NA GETS DOWN TO DISCUSSION OF AMENDMENTS IN ELECTORAL CODE BY SECOND READING

Noyan Tapan
Nov 16, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The National Assembly of the
Republic of Armenia got down to the discussion of the draft of the
amendments and addenda in the Electoral Code by the second reading
in the November 16 special sitting.

According to Samvel Nikoyan, the secretary of the Republican Party
of Armenia faction and the main reporter, a number of amendments
have been made to the draft adopted by the first reading, taking
into consideration the suggestions of separate MPs. In particular,
in case citizens absent from their registration place on the day of
the ballot vote according to the location, they will be included in
the additional list of the electors of the given electoral station,
by being temporarily removed from the list of the electors of their
registration place. The provision stipulated by the first reading,
according to which RA citizens cannot be registered as international
observers, and foreign citizens as local ones, was removed by another
amendment. The provision stipulated beforehand on the financial
encouragement of electoral commissions has also been removed.

The size of the pre-electoral security money of the candidate
running for presidency has also been reconsidered. If 10 million
drams instead of the operating 5 million was defined in the bill
adopted by the first reading, at present it is suggested that it
should make 8 million drams. Certain addenda have also been made to
the article concerning the pre-electoral fund of the candidate running
for the post of the RA President. By the first reading it was adopted
to define the highest possible limit of the means of the currently
operating fund 140 million drams instead of 70 million. In addition to
this, it is suggested to be stipulated that the candidate can conduct
propaganda on the frequencies of TV and radio companies for not more
than 50 million drams out of that sum. The authors conditioned this
addendum by the necessity for creating equal conditions for candidates.

The suggestion of Galust Sahakian, a member of the Republican Party
of Armenia, was thoroughly discussed: to remove the provision adopted
by the first reading, with which the claim for stamping the passport
of the participants of the ballot is defined. This suggestion was
supported by certain members of the Republican Party of Armenia and
Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia) factions in their speeches,
grounding that the secrecy of the participation in the ballot is broken
by the stamping. And those, who were for the stamping: Orinats Yerkir
(Country of Law), ARF Dashnaktsutiun and Zharangutiun (Heritage)
factions, ground the necessity of the stamping with the necessity
to exclude double ballot. Galust Sahakian, finally, declared that he
removes his suggestion respecting the opinion of the three factions,
irrespective of the fact that he is convinced that his suggestion
was right.