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On March 18, the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs moderated by Hovhannes Sahakyan with the participation of the parliamentary factions organized a discussion on the RA Draft K-960 Electoral Code. The NA Deputy Speaker Hermine Naghdalyan, the deputies, the RA Minister of Justice Arpine Hovhannisyan, the Chairman of the RA Central Electoral Commission Tigran Mukuchyan, the Head of the Passports and Visas Department of the RA Police Mnatsakan Bichakhchyan took part in the discussion.

Highlighting the debates on the RA Electoral Code, Hovhannes Sahakyan has informed that before the second reading all the recommendations and concerns, which will be constructive, will be accepted.

The key speaker, the Minister-Chief of Staff of RA Government Davit Harutyunyan touched upon the main provisions of the Draft Code, which concern more the public. Davit Harutyunyan particularly talked about the mechanisms being designed by the Electoral Code, which will create opportunity to reveal the electoral riggings, which worry the representatives of the political forces.

Talking about the electoral process, Davit Harutyunyan has informed that they have conventionally divided it into three phases.

According to him, it is designed to register the voters by new mechanism with electronic devices. This method is applicable in our country, as the lists are available in electronic way, in contrast with other countries.

According to Davit Harutyunyan, to divide the electronic lists into two parts will allow to decrease the voting instead of the people who did not take part in the election.

In Davit Harutyunyan’s word, after debating in the working group, a decision was made to implement paper voting as the use of the electronic devices is anachronistic. In the summing-up phase of the votes Davit Harutyunyan emphasized the participation of the parties in the elections with the ballot papers of different colours, which will make controllable the counting of the votes.

Afterwards Davit Harutyunyan answered the deputies’ numerous questions, which related to the publication of the signed electoral lists that took part in the voting, the finger inking, rating and double voting, the electoral campaign among the military, the restriction of the number of the media and the observers in the polling stations, the formation of the coalition, the expediency of the electronic registration system use and other issues. The participants touched upon the organization of the united political process in the revision of the Electoral Code.

In their speeches the deputies Nikol Pashinyan, Khosrov Harutyunyan and Tevan Poghosyan once again referred to the controversial issues existing in the Draft Code, which interest the public and the representatives of the political field.

In their final speeches the Minister-Chief of Staff of RA Government Davit Harutyunyan and the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Hovhannes Sahakyan thanked the attendees for the concerned discussion and noted that they are ready to once again debate all the recommendations.