YEREVAN. – Armenian parliament’s standing committee on legal affairs has given positive conclusion on the package of bills, including draft amendments to the Electoral Code and the constitutional law on a referendum.

Acting Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan said the amendments to the Electoral Code stem from the demands that were formed during the revolutionary events of April and May.

According to him, their goal is to simplify the Electoral Code as much as possible, leaving only a closed proportional electoral system, excluding voting on territorial lists of candidates for deputies.

In order to ensure pluralism, the threshold is also lowered: the parties are to get 4 percent of votes instead of 5, and political blocs 6 percent instead of seven.

He added that besides this, the electoral deposit will be reduced from previous 10 million drams to 7.5 million.

It is also proposed to increase the participation of women in the work of the National Assembly, as a result of which the number of women deputies in the Armenian parliament is planned to increase to at least 30 percent.