Epress.am News from Armenia
Calls to adopt a 100% proportional representation voting system a few months before elections are only populist statements by those parties that are opposed to the majority system because they don’t have enough resources outside the capital, said Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) MP Karine Atshemyan at a press conference in Yerevan today.
“It’s not important whether the electoral system will be proportional or majority, what’s important is the quality of the elections. There are two preconditions to holding fair elections: that we have a better electoral code and the authorities have the political will to hold fair elections,” she said.
The other speaker at the press conference, Armenian National Congress member, Social Democrat Hunchakian Party leader Lyudmila Sargsyan, said that HAK doesn’t have resources and can only generate smiles.
“The National Assembly was busy only with adopting laws favorable to businesses owned by MPs. We’re not fighting to have many seats in parliament, but we’re fighting for the establishment of a lawful government,” she said.
According to the opposition member, experience shows that statements on fair elections and political will are lies and the ruling authorities are not really disposed toward holding fair elections.
“That [ruling] coalition parties have begun campaigning early proves this. Coalition parties are distributing juices or carrying out other charitable events in the regions. And they also have television at their disposal — to pursue their campaign,” Sargsyan concluded.