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ID MATTERS: JUSTICE MINISTER SAYS ONLY PASSPORTS WILL ENABLE ARMENIA CITIZENS TO VOTE
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow
17.02.12 | 12:30
Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan
The government has come up with a proposal to change some language in
several laws after discovering that the new identification cards to be
introduced for Republic of Armenia citizens in June cannot be used for
stamping during elections as required by the amended Electoral Code.
Besides the Electoral Code, some other laws will have to be edited,
including the laws on citizens' passports and identification cards.
Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan said at a government meeting on
Thursday that only the passport constitutes a legal document for the
country's citizens to participate in ballots.
"It transpired during the preparation of identification cards that
they cannot have any paper material, or if they have, the degree of
their protection will essentially reduce. Therefore, only passports
are to be used as documents for elections," the minister explained.
Ink and stamp will be applied on several voting-related documents
to exclude the possibility of multiple votes. Under Article 66,
paragraph 4, of the amended Electoral Code, "the member of the
commission responsible for putting a seal on the ballot envelopes
and for the ballot box shall seal the ballot envelope and allow the
elector to drop the ballot envelope into the ballot box only after
checking the presence of a stamp in the elector's identification
document pertaining to participation in the given elections, and in
case no such stamp is present, only after putting such stamp on the
elector's identification document."
It was announced recently that a new anti-fraud mechanism will be
introduced ahead of the May parliamentary elections - for the first
time, voters in Armenia will have their passports dyed to indicate
that they have cast a ballot. The special ink from the British company
Lantrade Global will disappear off the document after 12 hours. The
Government's Reserve Fund will spend about $43,000 on the project.
Armenian citizens, who now have a single passport for domestic use
and foreign trips, will need two separate ones after the introduction
of biometric passports and IDs later this year.
"One passport will be valid outside Armenia and the other one inside
Armenia. IDs can be alternatives to internal passports for domestic
use only," said Tovmasyan.
Since the changes will come into effect in June, they will not concern
the May parliamentary elections.
Citizens will be able to use IDs as a legal document only within the
Republic of Armenia, while biometrical passports will be used for trips
abroad (the passport profile will include the prints of a citizen's
forefingers of both hands). Receiving such a biometrical passport will
be voluntary and will come at a fee of 25,000 drams or about $65. But
even after June 1 citizens will be allowed to receive or prolong
their old passports that will remain valid both in Armenia and abroad.
From: A. Papazian
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow
17.02.12 | 12:30
Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan
The government has come up with a proposal to change some language in
several laws after discovering that the new identification cards to be
introduced for Republic of Armenia citizens in June cannot be used for
stamping during elections as required by the amended Electoral Code.
Besides the Electoral Code, some other laws will have to be edited,
including the laws on citizens' passports and identification cards.
Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan said at a government meeting on
Thursday that only the passport constitutes a legal document for the
country's citizens to participate in ballots.
"It transpired during the preparation of identification cards that
they cannot have any paper material, or if they have, the degree of
their protection will essentially reduce. Therefore, only passports
are to be used as documents for elections," the minister explained.
Ink and stamp will be applied on several voting-related documents
to exclude the possibility of multiple votes. Under Article 66,
paragraph 4, of the amended Electoral Code, "the member of the
commission responsible for putting a seal on the ballot envelopes
and for the ballot box shall seal the ballot envelope and allow the
elector to drop the ballot envelope into the ballot box only after
checking the presence of a stamp in the elector's identification
document pertaining to participation in the given elections, and in
case no such stamp is present, only after putting such stamp on the
elector's identification document."
It was announced recently that a new anti-fraud mechanism will be
introduced ahead of the May parliamentary elections - for the first
time, voters in Armenia will have their passports dyed to indicate
that they have cast a ballot. The special ink from the British company
Lantrade Global will disappear off the document after 12 hours. The
Government's Reserve Fund will spend about $43,000 on the project.
Armenian citizens, who now have a single passport for domestic use
and foreign trips, will need two separate ones after the introduction
of biometric passports and IDs later this year.
"One passport will be valid outside Armenia and the other one inside
Armenia. IDs can be alternatives to internal passports for domestic
use only," said Tovmasyan.
Since the changes will come into effect in June, they will not concern
the May parliamentary elections.
Citizens will be able to use IDs as a legal document only within the
Republic of Armenia, while biometrical passports will be used for trips
abroad (the passport profile will include the prints of a citizen's
forefingers of both hands). Receiving such a biometrical passport will
be voluntary and will come at a fee of 25,000 drams or about $65. But
even after June 1 citizens will be allowed to receive or prolong
their old passports that will remain valid both in Armenia and abroad.
From: A. Papazian