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By the decision of the RA NA Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan, in accordance with Article 100 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and Article 41 of the Constitutional Law the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, on the initiative of the Government an extraordinary sitting of the National Assembly was convened on April 28 by the initiator’s established agenda, where three legislative initiatives were included. The debate of two draft laws in the second reading will be held by the NA decision after passing them in the first reading, within twenty-four hours.

The RA Minister of Finance Atom Janjughazyan presented for debate in the first reading the draft law on Making Amendment and Addenda to the RA Law on the RA State Budget for 2020.

The Minister informed that the pandemic had a negative impact on the economy of numerous countries, including also Armenia. Many external and internal factors, as for example the fall of prices of metals and oil, the decline of tourism, the reduction of the expecting private transfers, etc promoted and promote it.

Atom Janjughazyan has also answered to the MPs’ questions and assured that all social and compulsory expenditures designed by the budget will remain unchanged, the budgetary re-distributions will be implemented transparently, the public will be aware of all changes, if they do not contain secret.

The MPs have tried to clarify if the policy pursued by the government is consonant with the budgetary programming process.

The Deputy Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs Artak Manukyan has informed that the Committee endorsed the draft law.

Speaking about the amendments proposing by the initiative the NA deputies touched upon the problems of the implementation of the economic policy in the conditions of the state of emergency, the consequences of the rise of the citizens’ income, the expediency of the revision of the state finances conditioned by coronavirus and the tax collecting process in the crisis state. Some part of the MPs considered concerning the restriction of the authorities of the parliament by the draft law, and the other part considered important to provide tools to the Government in such situation for implementing more flexible budgetary policy.

The representatives of the NA Factions expressed viewpoints on the initiative

On behalf of the RA NA Prosperous Armenia Faction Mikayel Melkumyan delivered a speech and informed that the Faction presented five proposals.

Mkhitar Hayrapetyan has presented the viewpoint of the RA NA My Step Faction considering useful and constructive the debate and has noted that in the created situation the utmost is done.

In his concluding speech the RA Minister of Finance Atom Janjughazyan answered to the voiced questions.

The legislative package on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law on Legal Regime of the State of Emergency and on Making Addendum to the Law on Normative Legal Acts was debated in the first reading. According to the RA Deputy Minister of Justice Rafik Grigoryan, after the first reading the proposals of the deputies of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs will be taken into consideration.

In the Q & A format and in their speeches the MPs have voiced a number of problems, which relate to the regulation of the restriction of the right to the person’s personal freedom, the provision of the document to the isolated and self-isolated employees, the possibility of canceling the administrative penalties for violation of the state of emergency until now and other problems. They referred to the protection of the employees’ rights in the conditions of the state of emergency, the preservation of their salaries, the employer-employee relations, and the payment of the voluntary working medical workers, then talked about the problems of the remote education.

Taron Simonyan expressed the viewpoint of the NA Bright Armenia Faction and noted that they presented a package of their professional recommendations.

Expressing the viewpoint of the NA Prosperous Armenia Faction the deputy Naira Zohrabyan touched upon some problems relating to the employer-employee relations.

The NA Deputy Speaker Alen Simonyan noted that the NA My Step Faction would vote for the draft law.

In his final speech the RA Deputy Minister of Justice Rafik Grigoryan referred to the MPs’ presented legal questions.

Afterwards the parliament debated in the first reading the package of bills on Making Addenda and Amendments to the RA Labor Code and on Making Addendum to the RA Code on Administrative Legal Offences.

The key speaker, the RA Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Arman Udumyan has noted that a necessity emerged to amend the Labor Code and the Code on Administrative Legal Offences.

Arman Udumyan assured that before the second reading a more comprehensive version would be.

At the end of the day the MPs by voting passed in the first reading the legislative packages on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law on Legal Regime of the State of Emergency and on Making Addendum to the Law on Normative Legal Acts and on Making Addenda and Amendments to the RA Labor Code and Administrative Legal Offences.

The National Assembly will continue the work of the extraordinary sitting on April 29 at 11:00.