The discussion on the bill put forward by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and the Heritage Party on switching to 100% proportional representation in parliament has commenced in the National Assembly. The bill was represented by main reporter Armen Martirosyan.
Hakob Hakobyan, a Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MP, asked the latter whether the initiative of the parliamentary opposition didn’t contradict Article 64 of the Constitution, according to which, “Anyone who has been a citizen of the Republic of Armenia for the past 5 years and who has been living in the Republic of Armenia for the past 5 years and has the right to vote can become an MP.” Armen Martirosyan’s answer was no, furthermore, he responded saying that an election for Yerevan Council took place in 2009, which was held exceptionally through proportional representation and at that time no such issue arose and no one, including the establishment, talked about its unconstitutionality. Later on, Armen Martirosyan also added that the establishment also perceived it a political issue and that was the main reason for denying the bill.
Perhaps one part of head of the National Assembly state and legal commission Davit Harutyunyan’s speech testified to that. In that part he mentioned as an advantage of the majoritarian representation that “the most important argument is that as a result of the majoritarian representation, persons who represent the forthcoming leading party are usually elected. Naturally, the majoritarian model offers an opportunity to establish a stable majority in the parliament.”
ARF faction leader Vahan Hovhannisyan, talking about this part of Davit Harutyunyan’s speech, said that it was a self-confession. “There has never been a change of power without bloody clashes. Therefore, this statement of yours is a thing, which should not be articulated here,” the ARF leader said, adding that he had many doubts that even the majoritarian representation could guarantee the government stability, “because if you had guaranteed that stability through the majoritarian representation, the previous bill wouldn’t have been put forward.” Most probably he talked about the Legal Regime of the State of Emergency bill.
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Naira Zohrabyan, a member of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) faction, also responded to the above-mentioned statement of Davit Harutyunyan, “I don’t agree with my colleague that majoritarian representation is not a drawback, but a feature of maintaining stable majority. No. If the majority wants to have a stable majority through maintaining 41 electoral districts at any cost, it is not a feature, but a drawback, because the only way to maintain stable majority are free and fair elections.”
Naira MAMIKONYAN
