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At April 27 sitting the parliament continued the work of the four-day sittings.

The deputies welcomed the students of Monte Melkonian Military and Sports College of RA Ministry of Defense who visited the National Assembly within the framework of the NA Open Doors programme and were observing the NA sittings.

Afterwards the parliament resumed the debates on the new Draft Electoral Code.

More than three dozens of deputies were registered for delivering speeches on the new Draft Electoral Code.

The MPs Lyudmila Sargsyan, Stepan Margaryan, Mikayel Melkumyan, Vardan Oskanyan, Tigran Urikhanyan, Ruzanna Muradyan, Naira Zohrabyan, Artak Davtyan, Edmon Marukyan, Hrant Bagratyan, Sukias Avetisyan, Vahram Mkrtchyan, Heghine Bisharyan, Tevan Poghsoyan, Vahe Enfiajyan, Araik Hovhannisyan, Naira Karapetyan, Ishkhan Khachatryan expressed their views on the new Draft Electoral Code.

The NA Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov delivered an extraordinary speech. According to him, the new Draft Electoral Code under debate is a very important document and it is natural that the debates on it should be stormy. Mr Sharmazanov has noted that the parliamentary hearings were held, debates in different formats, and it will go on.

“The problem of the power is to reach with the political forces and the civil society the adoption of such Electoral Code, which in practice will rise the atmosphere of the public towards the electoral processes and their results. The power has that political will, they are ready for compromises: the power has proposed and will propose compromising versions,” said the NA Deputy Speaker. He asked his opposition colleagues to realize the importance of those compromises: the compromises, but not one-sided concessions. According to Mr Sharmazanov, there is almost no sphere, where the power hasn’t proposed compromising variants. It has been noted that similar laws are subjected to amendment during the period from the first to the seocnd reading. Thus, the NA Deputy Speaker has not considered right the appeals: ‘let’s debate, but not vote.’

Touching upon the views that this is not a proportional system, but a concealed majoritarian, Eduard Sharmazanov did not agree with that evaluation. He has noted that there are versions of proportional system and the version being proposed by the Government is used in about 20 countries of the world. At the end of the speech the NA Deputy Speaker has said that they are ready to listen to all proposals and go forward as a result of compromises.

The debate of the agenda item will continue at NA April 28 sitting.

At the last sitting the members of the RA Government, according to the law, the NA Rules of Procedure, answered the MPs’ questions.