Gorgisyan Expressed Discontent that the Final Electoral Code Package was Not Discussed with Political Forces; Danielyan Responded

Gevorg Gorgisyan, a member of the 'Enlightened Armenia' faction of the National Assembly, expressed his dissatisfaction that the final version of the package of amendments to the Electoral Code had not been discussed with political forces and had not been put up for public discussion.

Gorgisyan made this statement during the extraordinary session of the National Assembly discussing the package. He emphasized that when they began working on the package, it was important for the project to be inclusive and presented for public discussion. “The project has been continuously changed, and even after our last discussion, which took place in Tsaghkadzor, there were further changes. The last version presented at the State and Legal Affairs Committee has already been altered from the version we had. Essentially, today we are discussing a version that has not been discussed with anyone and has not been publicly presented in any final form. Moreover, the provisions that are supposed to come into force, and some will remain later, have again not been put forward for any public discussion, nor have they been agreed upon with any political force or representatives of the public. Or was that done behind closed doors, and no one was aware of it?” said Gorgisyan.

Member of the 'My Step' faction and the main rapporteur of the package, Hamazasp Danielyan, responded: “We have discussed behind closed doors, you and I, and that is a work format, there is nothing wrong with that.” Addressing the fact that the project has changed since February, he said: “Yes, because the project presented to you in February was a draft, and since then I have not received any written proposals. There have been verbal concerns, which have changed during this time and have been contradictory.” Danielyan also noted that the government has emphasized the importance of public discussion and partnership.