Epress.am News from Armenia
Gradually moving to a 100% proportional representation system is one of the issues on the Prosperous Armenia’s agenda, Prosperous Armenia (BHK) MP Naira Zohrabyan told Epress.am today, noting that this is BHK’s “global approach” to the issue of electoral systems.
Asked whether it’s possible that BHK will back the proposal by Heritage Party and Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) parliamentary factions that the majority electoral system should be abolished from the Electoral Code, Zohrabyan said the party hasn’t discussed the issue, since the winter holidays are fast approaching, and she doesn’t think that it will be discussed anytime soon.
“When [amendments to] the Electoral Code [were] adopted [in 2011], it was the final amendment. You know, it was a consensus electoral code, and us political forces, members of the working group concluded that at least at this stage it is expedient to maintain the current proportion, which doesn’t entirely deny, doesn’t rule out that Prosperous Armenia, however, found and constantly finds that, to have a political parliament, for debates to be truly political, it is necessary to increase the role of political parties, and naturally, it’s necessary to gradually move to a 100% proportional representation electoral system,” she said.
Zohrabyan, however, didn’t consider it realistic that now, a few months before the elections, when the parliament will begin its spring session, there will another amendment to the Electoral Code specifically to review this issue of proportion.
Nevertheless, according to the MP, the Prosperous Armenia party is always ready to participate in discussion of this matter.