MP Term should be Limited: Azat Arshakyan
New “Electoral Code” should have included an introductory part, which should have introduced purpose of the Code, for instance, rotation of the authorities should be implemented peacefully, without violence, without persecutions and revolutions, the Code should contribute to peaceful resignation of current power, at least 2/3 of it, 1/3 may remain as tradition bearers.
Logic of democratic elections is as follows: in certain period a political power having authority, should leave. Does this Code contribute to their leaving, or will rotation be implemented? I think-no. Logic of the law is in it, i.e. this isn’t an electoral code, but that of reappointment, to which people may participate via representation,” Azat Arshakyan, former Supreme Council MP told 168.am , expressing his standpoint on Electoral Code.
Note that draft bill for the Electoral Code has already been approved by the Government and sent to the National Assembly. Earlier, its initial variant has been sent to Venice Commission for conclusion.
According to A.Arshakyan, the Code is complicated and much like the game of thimble twisting—they know in which bell the ball is, and the one before it—voter, doesn’t know.
A.Arshakyan assured that this Electoral Code has been written for reproduction of authorities, “Lots of points should have been included in this, for instance, a person shouldn’t be elected as an MP more than twice, as our practice shows, people want to stay forever, but this should be limited. Parallel to it amendments should have been implemented in the law on political parties, so that they were interested in making unions. Currently it lacks, and ambitious individuals may build parties with their family members and the Ministry of Justice, or it would be correct, if organizer of elections was Ministry of Internal Affairs, don’t confuse it with the police, it should have been able to control the parties. Are they represented in 2/3 of polling stations, or at least in 4/5? Political party should be registered, and not to have a fake document, and local self-government bodies should fix, that this or that citizen is a representative of a particular party in a particluar polling station and they can’t be members of other parties.”
The law on political parties should have fixed how they will be financed, they should have equal chances. This lacks as well.”
Parallel to all these, according to A.Arshakyan, another issue should have been raised, that activity of election falsifiers is not only banned, for instance, giving bribe, doing anti-propaganda. The party which does anti-propaganda not only leaves the campaign, but criminal proceedings are instituted and rather harsh punishment is provided in the list of crime.
To the observation, that nowadays falsifiers are fined with AMD 500 thousand, A.Arshakyan argued, that for state crime at least 5 year imprisonment should be implemented, and that person should have a “wolf stamp”, neighbors shouldn’t greet him/her, as he/she is a state criminal against the Republic of Armenia, he/she committed a crime against our country.
A.Arshakyan didn’t either approve the process of Electoral Code, “In fact, we should be glad and content, that Armenia has two elder brothers, one in Brussels, the other in Moscow i.e. do you imagine what an alien-pleaser we are, our citizens haven’t seen the law yet, haven’t discussed, we should have worn out the law, and only to boast that we have such a civil society, have sent it to our elder brothers, and approved it; that young state is already 26 years old, has success. And now Iran is growing very fast, in fact, should send all the document to Tizbon, so that they check, but if they say no…But it’s not right. We should study our documents, we should give an assessment, then, if there is need, there are certain conditions for global integration, we are like vassals in EEU, send it to Moscow.”
In A.Arshakan’s words, as long as bureaucrats of Armenia’s authorities don’t have trust among the nation, generally conditional constitutional assembly, members of which should announce, that they won’t enjoy the law adopted by themselves, i.e. they won’t become ministers, won’t take any positions, “Let them go to Moscow, Brussels, Tizbon, Washington and etc, discuss draft bills and, at last, we’ll build the forth republic.”
By Gayane Khachatryan
