“The new electoral code is ready and it has been put into circulation, but if the ruling party is the only one willing to accept the code, then it turns out that the rules of the game will be outlined by a code that our opposition colleagues in parliament do not agree with. At the same time, it is very important that this code be adopted according to a consensus,” My Step deputy Heriknaz Tigranyan said during a panel organized by the Union of Informed Citizens NGO on the “Amendments to the Electoral Code and the Necessity of Adopting Those Prior to the Snap Elections” topic.
A member of the executive body of the Citizens’ Decision social-democratic party, Gor Hakobyan, said that changes to the electoral system are largely connected to political changes. “Because the logic behind our country’s Electoral Code is how the political system was organized prior to the Constitution of 2015, which solidified a new political system. Its nature is such that society cannot demand responsibility from any member of parliament in any way, or it cannot demand even wider control.”
According to Hakobyan, the current political crisis is due to the fact that the dissolution of parliament and the Prime Minister’s resignation depend on the Prime Minister. “This is a clear example of the degraded political system that was established. It is necessary to change the entire political system. It must be more predictable, it must provide more opportunities for flexibility during political crises, and it must provide more flexible opportunities to associate with society.”
In Gor Hakobyan’s opinion, changes to the Electoral Code and to the political system must solve the issue of the stable majority, and it must provide the opportunity for multiple political parties to be represented in parliament. Also, the National Assembly must have a clear dissolution procedure outlined in the Constitution.
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“Now, there is the question of whether or not changes should be made. Snap elections will not solve the political crisis. It is a step towards weakening the crisis. If changes are not made, the problem will not be resolved,” Hakobyan said.
Bright Armenia deputy Karen Simonyan said if everyone is prepared for snap elections, it is not right to change the Electoral Code during that process.
“The stable majority will be maintained. We will accept the new Electoral Code, but we will keep the stable majority because the procedural conclusion of the Constitutional Court on the Electoral Code and constitutional amendments takes about a month. It is very possible that the deadline will be extended to decide on the issue of the stable majority, plus the 21 days that the president has to sign the law.”
Nelly Babayan
