Nikol Pashinyan has forgetten about failed Electoral Code

At the beginning of a press conference in the government on November 20,2048,  Nikol Pashinyan touched upon the commitments of the provisional government and mentioned that post-revolutionary government has fulfilled all the commitments it had undertaken before the people: the removal of Serzh Sargsyan’s team, the elimination of the practice of electoral fraud, the fight against corruption, the elimination of monopolies, the equality of all before the law and the removal of privileged persons, as well as holding extraordinary parliamentary elections.

It should be noted, however, that the post-revolutionary government of Nicol Pashinyan has missed a few points, the implementation of which was considered one the most important and priority steps during the revolution. One of these, in particular, was holding elections with the new Electoral Code.

During the revolution, Nikol Pashinyan repeatedly touched upon the holding of extraordinary parliamentary elections, considering the amendments to the Electoral Code an important precondition.

“I think that before holding free and fair elections it is necessary to make serious changes to the Electoral Code and to make changes in the legislative field in general, and this should be done without hasty changes that may cause bigger problems”, announced Pashinyan before being elected the Prime Minister.

During one of the rallies, speaking of their roadmap, Pashinyan said: “The rapidest legislative amendments, amendments to the Electoral Code and the Law on Parties also create legislative guarantees that in the near future free and fair extraordinary parliamentary elections can be held.”

When elected a Prime Minister, the second point of the Pashinian’s government program referred to snap parliamentary elections, in which, in particular, it was written:

«The government attaches importance to holding early parliamentary elections which will be truly free, fair, transparent and democratic … with changes it is necessary to eliminate the rating electoral system and to move to a full-scale proportional system, to create new electoral lists that reflect the real situation … carry out other changes in the Electoral Code that guarantee the free expression of the will of the voters “.

To accomplish that goal, a Special Commission on Electoral Reform was established adjunct to the Prime Minister. However, even though the executive approved the package submitted by the commission, the National Assembly overthrew it.

Thus, in fact, the elections to be held on December 9, 2018 will be held under an unchanged Electoral Code. The Prime Minister’s statement that he has fulfilled all obligations, without exception, are partially true.

Speaking during the press conference about the upcoming elections and the failure of the Electoral Code, Pashinyan stated that he had assumed an obligation to carry out extraordinary parliamentary elections, which he is currently doing, whereas he did not mention which Electoral Code he was referring to.

“We have not discussed in the Republic Square as to through which version of the Electoral Code the elections will be held, and even if we had discussed, any law should be adopted through the voting of the parliamentary forces, and in this case, everything has happened before your eyes. The government has done everything possible within the limits for this Code to be adopted.”- said Pashinyan.

Karine Kirakosyan