Political forces, non-governmental organizations and circles of experts in Armenia have always criticized the “rating” electoral system (the system envisages election of a candidate for MP based on district lists-ed.). This is what deputy of the ruling My Step bloc of the National Assembly of Armenia Vahagn Hovakimyan said during today’s discussion on the bill on making amendments and supplements to the Electoral Code in parliament, adding that there has been a public demand to change the electoral system ever since it was introduced.

Hovakimyan emphasized that there was initially consensus of political parties over the purely proportional electoral system. He mentioned that the public has always presented the demand to renounce the “rating” electoral system and that this is what the deputies are proposing to do.

Hovakimyan also said there have been changes made due to the spread of the coronavirus and mentioned that all countries are reviewing their approaches to elections during the pandemic.

The MP added that the ruling party has discussed the bill with the Central Electoral Commission, the Ministry of Justice, as well as international and non-governmental organizations and has forwarded it to the President of Armenia. He also stressed that the authorities are ready to discuss all the amendments that the opposition and the President propose.

All the remaining amendments made to the Electoral Code (granting persons having attained the age of 16 the right to vote and raising the threshold for alliances of political parties to cross) will be considered later, but not during today’s session.

On March 18, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan informed that Armenia will hold snap parliamentary elections on June 20.