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On May 5 the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs initiated parliamentary hearings to debate the draft law of RA Electoral Code adopted in the first reading (with new edition), on which the joint opinion of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR had been received. The NA deputies, members of the government, CEC, Public Council, representatives of NGOs and international organizations and others took part in the debates.

In his opening speech the Committee Chairman Davit Harutyunyan said that the working group was set up for the amendment of the Electoral Code and debated all the received proposals and some of them were accepted. Mr Harutyunyan ensured that the Committee transparently and openly carried out the process.

The experts of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR Nicola Schmidt, Simon Granata-Mendini and Kare Volani presented the observations of the joint opinion Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on the draft law of the New Electoral Code. It was noted that this is the 18^th opinion presented on the Armenian electoral legislation.

RA Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan touched upon some observations of the joint opinion of the OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission.

In their speeches the NA deputies and the representatives of the civil society touched upon the issuance of the electoral lists, video recording of the elections, participation of the women and representatives of the national minorities in the elections, formation of the electoral commissions, principles of the formation of the electoral precincts, the radical improvement of the electoral system, the problem of the participation of the employees of the educational system in the electoral process and the main amendments in the draft laws and their importance.

In the name of the Heritage faction Armen Martirosyan gave a speech and noted that the presented bill was inadmissible for them.

Hovhannes Margaryan voiced the view of the Country of Law faction and ensured that they would continue to actively take part in the debates of the Electoral Code.

The ARF member Armen Rustamyan considered necessary the conduct of free and just elections and the restoration of the public trust towards the elections. He also said that the opinion of the Venice Commission experts on their presented version of the Electoral Code had been received.

In the concluding speeches the experts of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR Nicola Schmidt and Kare Volani touched upon the raised interpellations and concerns.

Davit Harutyunyan gave a concluding speech and presented the view of the RPA faction, touching upon the logic of the amendments made

Completing his speech the Committee Chairman thanked all the concerned sides, the experts of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR for active participation and effective proposals in the debates to improve the RA Electoral Code.