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On June 25, the RA National Assembly continued the debate of the draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Tax Code and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Tax Code of 21 June 2018 and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Tax Code of 21 December 2017 and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law-266, on Amending the RA Law-338 and the package of the co-legislative draft laws in the second reading.

The deputies expressed their positions on the elaborated package with presented recommendations.

In his final speech the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Babken Tunyan has expressed conviction that the additionally elaborated package differs from the acting code, thus it shall be called into life.

The RA Deputy Minister of Finance Arman Poghosyan touched upon the deputies’ remarks and recommendations, noted that advantages of the package and the reasons of non-accepted proposals.

Afterwards the draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Constitutional Law the NA Rules of Procedure and the package of the enclosed legislative draft laws authored by the deputy, the RA NA Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan was debated in the first reading.

The author has noted tht the amendments being proposed with the voluminous package are conditioned by the parliamentary government and have a goal to raise the role of the National Assembly in the formation of the autonomous bodies, as well as especially underlined the role of the opposition and the ruling factions of the National Assembly in those processes.

Ararat Mirzoyan particularly proposes the nomination of the candidates for being elected in vacant positions in the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC) and the Public Services Regulating Commission (PSRC) to reserve to the RA Government, then to the NA ruling faction and the NA opposition faction. The Prime Minister proposes the candidates for being elected in those positions by acting order and the NA Speaker approves thar person.

Ararat Mirzoyan informed that he initiated changes for the quick formation of the Corruption Prevention Committee. It is proposed to form that body out of the candidates nominated by the legislative, Executive and judicial powers in a way as other autonomous bodies are formed with some difference. According to the NA Speaker, the functioning competition order is of imitation character, thus it is expedient to form the committee through dimply held elections. It is proposed give the Committee new functions, which stems from the logic of the judicial reforms.

The author also proposes to raise the coefficient of the salaries of the autonomous body members.

The NA President informed his colleagues that the legislative package had passed a long-term phase of elaboration: it is a system-created initiative, which is intended for the rise of the parliament’s role.

Anna Karapetyan presented the endorsement of the RA NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs and urged her colleagues to vote for the amendments being proposed.

The RA First Deputy Minister of Justice Artak Asatryan presented the positive opinion and the proposals of the RA Government.

Exchange of thoughts was held.

The deputies Arman Babajanyan, Ani Samsonyan, Viktor Yengibaryan, Sergey Bagratyan, Sisak Gabrielyan, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, Srbuhi Grigoryan, Heriknaz Tigranyan, Suren Grgoryan, Edgar Arakelyan and Vagharshak Hakobyan expressed viewpoints on the package of draft laws.

Sergey Bagratyan presented the viewpoint of the NA Prosperous Armenia Faction and noted that their faction would vote against it and would submit constructive proposals from the first to the second reading.

Mkhitar Hayrapetyan presented the viewpoint of the NA My Step Faction, adding they would vote for it.

In her final speech Anna Karapetyan referred to the viewpoints voiced by some opposition colleagues and presented clarifications. The speaker expressed readiness to cooperate and debate the recommendations.

In his final speech Ararat Mirzoyan has underscored that the possible large control by the society towards the state bodies, the accountability and the transparency of the state bodies and the officials’ activity is one of the principles of their political force, faction and his personal one, and this initiative stems from those very principles. Ararat Mirzoyan has reminded that with the mechanism of this moment in the formation of the autonomous bodies only the Prime Minister can nominate a candidate. The Head of the parliament proposes to take this authority from the Prime Minister and give it to the government, the parliament and the opposition, and in case of Corruption Prevention Committee the representative of the judicial power also would reserve the right of nominating a candidate.

As a result of voting the parliament passed in the second reading the draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Tax Code and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Tax Code of 21 June 2018 and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Tax Code of 21 December 2017 and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law-266, on Amending the RA Law-338 and the enclosed package, in the first reading the legislative package on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Criminal-Executive Code and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Keeping the Arrested and Detained Persons and the bill on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Tax Code. The legislative package designing amendments and addenda to the Constitutional Law teh Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly and the a number of enclosed laws authored by the RA NA Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan was passed in the first reading with 84 for and 33 against votes.

Covering the agenda the National Assembly ended the work of the extraordinary session.

The NA Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan informed the deputies that on June 28 at 11:00 an extraordinary session would be convened.