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On April 1, on the deputies’ initiative the RA National Assembly convened an extraordinary sitting, having on the agenda the draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Constitutional Law the RA Electoral Code authored by the NA deputies Arman Babajanyan, Sergey Bagratyan, Vahagn Hovakimyan, Hamazasp Danielyan.

By the proposal of the Speaker of Parliament, the MPs in one-minute silence paid tribute to the memory of the legendary Commander of Artsakh liberation war Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan.

The deputy of the NA My Step FactionVahagn Hovakimyan has presented the NA draft decision on the Special Procedure of the debate of the RA NA Extraordinary Session Agenda Items, by which it is proposed to organize the debate of the draft law in the second reading within 24 hours, after passing it in the first reading.

The MP has noted that the urgency of the item is conditioned by the fact that only after a few days the licensing process of the Electoral Commissions will begin: “The amendments are very important, and the future members of the Commissions shall result in getting used to new changes.”

The draft law proposes amendments, and the improvement of the proportional electoral system, and the opportunity of holding the elections through territorial electoral lists also for the elections of the National Assembly is removed. Legal bases are also set out on the whole territory of Armenia or in case of establishing quarantine in certain places for holding the elections relevant to special rules, guaranteeing uninterrupted electoral process.

With this the possibility of decent organization and holding of the NA elections through simple proportional electoral order, as well as in the conditions of coronavirus is guaranteed.

Vahagn Hovakimyan noted that while revising the bill they worked with the Central Electoral Commission, the Ministry of Justice, the specialized organizations, including also the international ones.

Touching upon the rating electoral order, the MP underlined that it had always been criticized: “From the moment of investing this system there is a public demand that it shall be changed. The process shall be organized in a way that it will be acceptable for all stakeholders. I would like to underscore that from the beginning wide consensus has been available among the political forces over holding the NA elections through proportional electoral order.”

Afterwards the key rapporteur answered to the MPs’ questions.