Hearings were held in parliament regarding the existing problems and possible solutions for the Armenian Constitutional Law on Political Parties.
Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Lena Nazaryan presented two suggestions. “This is one of the few laws that I have personal experience in implementing, which is what my opinions are based on. I was one of the founders of the Civil Contract party in 2015, and I am able to envision how we need to implement this law in order for it to work properly so that internal democracy can be stronger and so that political parties can be inclusive, stable, consistent, and accountable. Of course, a lot of things depend on the values of each individual party, but I believe that we must include several principles and rules in the law that are general and mandatory for all parties.”
Lena Nazaryan suggested that the principles of gender representation be implemented when forming political party leadership. This can be done in two ways: either through creating a law that demands equal representation, or through including this principle in the party’s rules. Nazaryan said that women need to hold leadership positions because women make up half of society; otherwise, it will not be fair. “Women have different biological and social experiences that need to be represented in political parties, the National Assembly, and the government. Women and men have different interests, and having people to represent those interests could promote balanced decisions that will benefit all of society. Women’s representation needs to reach a critical level in order for issues involving women to receive enough attention. If their representation is not critical, then it’s simply for show.”
Her other suggestion involved the way that political parties are formed. “Political parties need to clarify how they will form the party’s leadership and election lists. It happens often that the political party’s leader decides who will be part of the party’s administration. This means that the administration might not change for many years. The leader will also decide who will be on the election lists. This is how political parties become corrupted and turn into business organizations.”
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