Nikol Pashinyan's Surprise Announcement

During the National Assembly Q&A session, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the upcoming elections will be held under a new Electoral Code without a proportional representation system. He noted that the issue of the electoral system has not been discussed in meetings with opposition political forces. "But I have asked our parliamentary colleagues for their opinions on the electoral system, specifically whether there should be a proportional representation system or not. During our conversations, we noted that both the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) and the Bright Armenia Party (LHK) leave it to the discretion of the parliamentary majority. The parliamentary majority, after discussions with extra-parliamentary forces and NGOs, has decided to go for simple amendments to the Electoral Code and that the elections will be held under a closed proportional electoral system," the publication 'Hraparak' reports.