Armenian Parliament adopts several bills at first reading

Armenia’s Parliament adopted a number of bills at the first reading, reports Armenpress.

The lawmakers adopted the bill on making changes and amendments in the law on Freedom of Assembly with 68 votes in favor and 28 against. Tsarukyan bloc voted against the bill, and the Yelk bloc faction head Nikol Pashinyan said they will vote in favor of the bill since the rapporteurs assured that the provisions concerning them will not be included in the final version.

The bill envisages the procedure on holding rallies, the rights of rally participants, as well as the cases when holding rallies can be limited. It also sets that law enforcement officials will not have a right to participate in the rally in a uniform, but in case of participation they must take a neutral stance.

The MPs also adopted the bill on ‘Architectural activity’ and the related package of bills according to which it is proposed to establish a chamber of architects based on the Union of Architects of Armenia.

The Parliament unanimously adopted the bill on making changes and amendments in the law on Political Asylum according to which the power to grant a political asylum is being transferred from the President to the authorized body which will be chosen by the government. Based on the proposed changes, the applications on granting political asylum will be discussed within 30 days instead of 10 days. 93 MPs voted in favor of the bill.