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IN ARMENIA, POLITICAL PARTIES DEBATE ON PARLIAMENT ELECTION SYSTEM
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter
23.09.11 | 11:31
Seven months ahead of the parliamentary elections in Armenia
discussions on proportional (party-list) and majoritarian (single-seat
constituency) voting systems are being held among political circles
mainly raising one issue, that is whether Armenia needs majoritarian
representation.
The approach to both voting models varies from one political force to
another. Some do not accept the single-mandate system, others believe
the future lies with the proportionate representation model only;
there are also those who say that regardless of the format elections
should be free and fair, in which case it won't be just a reproduced
government and democracy would rule in Armenia.
At the discussion organized by the Armenian center for political
and international studies Armenian parliamentarians presented their
perspectives.
Ruling Republican Party faction member, MP Hovhannes Sahakyan said
the talks over the issue are untimely since there is an election code
regulating all these processes and ratio.
"In order to have a 100-percent proportionate voting system we should
shape the kind of environment where the role of political forces in
that field would be 100 percent," says Sahakyan. "The Republican
Party never said it is against adopting a 100 percent party-list
representation system, however I believe under the given circumstance
it'd be a premature step."
The opposition shows a rather critical approach to the single-mandate
constituency. They believe that all the shortcomings of the Armenian
public administration system stem from it: oligarchic structure,
voting violations, election fraud, and deficit of legitimacy.
According to political analyst Ruben Mehrabyan the majoritarian
system is a Soviet heritage, which has long exhausted itself. Mainly
apolitical district authorities get elected through this system, he
says, and often by fraud and violations. And the one-chamber National
Assembly yet lacks effective mechanisms of province representation.
Prosperous Armenia party member, MP Naira Zohrabyan believes that the
issue of greatest concern to today's society is fair and transparent
elections rather than giving preference to any of the two voting
systems.
She says that a person's right to elect and be elected is provided
for by the Constitution.
"The Constitution says that a person has a right to nominate
him/herself, meaning s/he has a right to be elected. And even if we
transfer to 100-percent proportionate system, what shall we do with
that provision in the Constitution?" says Zohrabyan, adding that
Prosperous Armenia's goal for the future is a total proportionate
system.
Heritage party deputy chairman Ruben Hakobyan believes that such
discussions could yield any result if Armenia were a country of law.
"The authorities lack political will of holding elections, and the
civic society is not active. So far the fairest elections in Armenia
have been the 1990 parliamentary elections," says Hakobyan.
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun member, MP Armen
Rustamyan is convinced that the elections are an effective tool for
the reproduction of the authorities, and in our country where democracy
has no real roots such debates cannot be of any actual significance.
He raises a different question: how many of the single-mandate MPs
represent the opposition?
"The authorities would never give up the majoritarian constituency
system, as that, too, is a reproduction tool. We should have
established party-list representation system long ago, in order for
proper political parties to be shaped in the country, and so that
74-80 existing parties were not just parties by name and took part
in the elections as well; in that case it would become clear which
of them are real parties. It is the road the rest of the world has
passed," says Rustamyan.
Heritage's Hakobyan says that the single-seat constituency candidates
do not bring a new political word into the parliament.
"Many of the political parties feel reluctant to even put these
candidates on their lists and end up sending them to single-seat
constituencies," he says.
From: Baghdasarian
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter
23.09.11 | 11:31
Seven months ahead of the parliamentary elections in Armenia
discussions on proportional (party-list) and majoritarian (single-seat
constituency) voting systems are being held among political circles
mainly raising one issue, that is whether Armenia needs majoritarian
representation.
The approach to both voting models varies from one political force to
another. Some do not accept the single-mandate system, others believe
the future lies with the proportionate representation model only;
there are also those who say that regardless of the format elections
should be free and fair, in which case it won't be just a reproduced
government and democracy would rule in Armenia.
At the discussion organized by the Armenian center for political
and international studies Armenian parliamentarians presented their
perspectives.
Ruling Republican Party faction member, MP Hovhannes Sahakyan said
the talks over the issue are untimely since there is an election code
regulating all these processes and ratio.
"In order to have a 100-percent proportionate voting system we should
shape the kind of environment where the role of political forces in
that field would be 100 percent," says Sahakyan. "The Republican
Party never said it is against adopting a 100 percent party-list
representation system, however I believe under the given circumstance
it'd be a premature step."
The opposition shows a rather critical approach to the single-mandate
constituency. They believe that all the shortcomings of the Armenian
public administration system stem from it: oligarchic structure,
voting violations, election fraud, and deficit of legitimacy.
According to political analyst Ruben Mehrabyan the majoritarian
system is a Soviet heritage, which has long exhausted itself. Mainly
apolitical district authorities get elected through this system, he
says, and often by fraud and violations. And the one-chamber National
Assembly yet lacks effective mechanisms of province representation.
Prosperous Armenia party member, MP Naira Zohrabyan believes that the
issue of greatest concern to today's society is fair and transparent
elections rather than giving preference to any of the two voting
systems.
She says that a person's right to elect and be elected is provided
for by the Constitution.
"The Constitution says that a person has a right to nominate
him/herself, meaning s/he has a right to be elected. And even if we
transfer to 100-percent proportionate system, what shall we do with
that provision in the Constitution?" says Zohrabyan, adding that
Prosperous Armenia's goal for the future is a total proportionate
system.
Heritage party deputy chairman Ruben Hakobyan believes that such
discussions could yield any result if Armenia were a country of law.
"The authorities lack political will of holding elections, and the
civic society is not active. So far the fairest elections in Armenia
have been the 1990 parliamentary elections," says Hakobyan.
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun member, MP Armen
Rustamyan is convinced that the elections are an effective tool for
the reproduction of the authorities, and in our country where democracy
has no real roots such debates cannot be of any actual significance.
He raises a different question: how many of the single-mandate MPs
represent the opposition?
"The authorities would never give up the majoritarian constituency
system, as that, too, is a reproduction tool. We should have
established party-list representation system long ago, in order for
proper political parties to be shaped in the country, and so that
74-80 existing parties were not just parties by name and took part
in the elections as well; in that case it would become clear which
of them are real parties. It is the road the rest of the world has
passed," says Rustamyan.
Heritage's Hakobyan says that the single-seat constituency candidates
do not bring a new political word into the parliament.
"Many of the political parties feel reluctant to even put these
candidates on their lists and end up sending them to single-seat
constituencies," he says.
From: Baghdasarian