ARMENIAN SENIOR MP SAYS RETURN TO D'HONDT METHOD POSSIBLE
12:31 08.10.13
The chairman of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on State
Legal Affairs does not rule out the possibility of returning to
the D'Hondt method in deciding the procedures of forming national
delegations.
"I cannot say it for sure; it's up to the NA president to decide,"
David Harutyunyan told our correspondent.
Tert.am did not manage to receive further comments from the
parliament's Public Relations Department, with speaker Hovik Abrahamyan
being in Switzerland on a working visit.
In most of the Council of Europe member states, the chairpersons and
vice-chairpersons of national delegations and permanent parliamentary
committees are appointed in accordance with the D'Hondt formula (which
determines the representation of each member state's delegation).
Following the 2012 parliamentary election that led to the formation
of Armenia's fifth National Assembly, a decision was made to apply
the D'Hondt method only to the standing committees. As for different
assemblies and interparliamentary groups, the political majority
decided not to apply the formula to them to offer the smaller
parliamentary factions a chance to be represented in national
delegations.
Armenia's permanent and non-permanent delegations to the Council
of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) are composed of three
representatives from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
(David Harutyunyan, Arpine Hovhannisyan and Naira Karapetyan), two
representatives from the Prosperous Armenia party (Naira Zohrabyan,
Vahe Hovhannisyan), one representative from the opposition Heritage
party (Zaruhi Postanjyan), one from the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) and one from Armenian National
Congress (Levon Zurabyan). The Rule of Law party has no members in
the Assembly.
Harutyunyan, who heads the Armenian delegation to the PACE, said he
doesn't know what principle the National Assembly will adopt this time.
But he admitted that the parliament came up with the idea after Zaruhi
Postanjyan of the opposition Heritage faction raised a controversial
remark at the PACE's latest plenary session by asking President Serzh
Sargsyan to comment on rumors that he has gambled away ~@ ~@70 million
at a European casino.
As for the timeframes of a possible debate, Harutyunyan said that it
is also a question to be decided by the National Assembly speaker.
Armenian News - Tert.am
12:31 08.10.13
The chairman of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on State
Legal Affairs does not rule out the possibility of returning to
the D'Hondt method in deciding the procedures of forming national
delegations.
"I cannot say it for sure; it's up to the NA president to decide,"
David Harutyunyan told our correspondent.
Tert.am did not manage to receive further comments from the
parliament's Public Relations Department, with speaker Hovik Abrahamyan
being in Switzerland on a working visit.
In most of the Council of Europe member states, the chairpersons and
vice-chairpersons of national delegations and permanent parliamentary
committees are appointed in accordance with the D'Hondt formula (which
determines the representation of each member state's delegation).
Following the 2012 parliamentary election that led to the formation
of Armenia's fifth National Assembly, a decision was made to apply
the D'Hondt method only to the standing committees. As for different
assemblies and interparliamentary groups, the political majority
decided not to apply the formula to them to offer the smaller
parliamentary factions a chance to be represented in national
delegations.
Armenia's permanent and non-permanent delegations to the Council
of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) are composed of three
representatives from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
(David Harutyunyan, Arpine Hovhannisyan and Naira Karapetyan), two
representatives from the Prosperous Armenia party (Naira Zohrabyan,
Vahe Hovhannisyan), one representative from the opposition Heritage
party (Zaruhi Postanjyan), one from the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) and one from Armenian National
Congress (Levon Zurabyan). The Rule of Law party has no members in
the Assembly.
Harutyunyan, who heads the Armenian delegation to the PACE, said he
doesn't know what principle the National Assembly will adopt this time.
But he admitted that the parliament came up with the idea after Zaruhi
Postanjyan of the opposition Heritage faction raised a controversial
remark at the PACE's latest plenary session by asking President Serzh
Sargsyan to comment on rumors that he has gambled away ~@ ~@70 million
at a European casino.
As for the timeframes of a possible debate, Harutyunyan said that it
is also a question to be decided by the National Assembly speaker.
Armenian News - Tert.am