AMENDMENTS TO ELECTORAL CODE MADE BY ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT
ARE DEMOCRATIC, THINKS DEPUTY HEAD OF OSCE OFFICE IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MAY 20. ARMINFO. The amendments to the Electoral Code of
the Republic of Armenia made by the National Assembly of Armenia
are democratic, but the whole potential of the reforms is not used
entirely. Elaine Conkievich, Deputy Head of OSCE Office in Yerevan
made such comments on the amendments to the electoral code of Armenia.

Noting that she has not yet received the final text of the amendments
passed by the parliament Elaine Conkievich said that the Armenian
parliamentarians have adopted only part of proposals of international
experts, and they did not consider other parts or considered not in
full. In particular, the reduction of the number of the representatives
of the president in electoral commissions mentioned in the draft
amendments was the proposal made by OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission
of the Council of Europe. On the other hand, the mechanism of appeal
of the results of the voting in the final version of the amendments
rather differed from that the international experts proposed. As
regards reduction of the number of the deputies of the parliament,
increase of the number of proportional parliamentary seats (according
to party list) at the expense of majority seats and increase of the
term of activities of the parliament from 4 to 5 years, these are the
internal issue to be decided by Armenia and the OSCE office does not
comment on them, Elaine Conkievich stressed.

To remind, according to the bill adopted by the parliament, the
document does not prevent applying legal restrictions during mass
actions by the Police, servicemen, officers of National Security
Service and penitentiaries.