In December, the opposition parliamentary parties Heritage and Dashnaktsutyun suggested the elimination of the majority election system and a shift to the full proportional election system. They think the proportional system will provide the political forces with equal competition and decrease influence of non-political factors on election processes.
Armen Rustamyan, Dashnaktsutyun representative, says that the opposition strives for making the elections a way of changing power rather than its reproduction. He thinks the majority system supports reproduction of power. Moreover, it is a way of driving the opposition out of the parliament: “Today the authorities have already had 41 places in the National Assembly. If power doesn’t accept our proposal, it will be obvious that statements on holding fair elections are fake; and the only aim is to maintain their positions,” Rustamyan thinks.
The party Prosperous Armenia’s representative, Naira Zograbyan, considers that PPA is not against the opposition’s proposal, but shifting to the proportional system should be staged. Zograbyan reminded that recently the parliament adopted the new Election Code, and political forces agreed on maintaining the current correlation between the proportional and majority systems.
Meanwhile, the member of the ruling Republican party of Armenia, Eduard Sharmazanov, thinks that shifting to the full proportional election system is impossible at the moment. According to him, politicians have already considered all issues and suggestions on Election Code.
The initiative by Heritage and Dashnaktsutyun was supported by the opposition Armenian National Congress, as well as parties Ramkavar-Azatakan of Armenia and Free Democrats. Levon Zurabyan, ANC coordinator, stated: “ANC proposed the idea along with seven others, which were sent to the Council of Europe in March 2010 to launch correspondent amendments to Election Code.”
Despite the authorities’ resistance to changes in favor of the proportional system, the tendency of reduction of the majority mandates is being observed for 15 years in Armenia. Thus, the last parliamentary elections in Soviet Armenia were held fully under the majority system. In 1995 40 deputies entered the parliament according to the proportional system and 150 – according to the majority one. In 1999 number of mandates taken under the proportional system was 56, while under the majority system – 75. In 2003 75 deputies were elected, according to the proportional system, and 56, according to the majority system. In 2007 the correlation was 90 to 41 in favor of the proportional system deputies.
Why is the Armenian opposition so firm in the issue? Majority districts are considered to be one of most important mechanisms of falsification. Candidates, who apply in the districts, represent criminal structures mainly. Pro-power political forces use them as “independent candidates.” They are the main source of falsification and lawlessness during parliamentary elections.
“Experience of the past shows that businessmen and criminal elements enter the parliament thanks to the majority election system. Some political forces avoid listing these people for the proportional system. The authorities use the majority system for pushing these people to the National Assembly,” Ruben Akopyan, the deputy chairman of Heritage, thinks.
So, the opposition tries to reduce number of falsifications through launching the proportional system. After elimination of majority districts people, who falsify, will eliminate as well. Or these people would be included ti the proportional lists. The second reason for the full proportional election system is a financing factor. Spending for the proportional system campaign is less than for the majority system.
As for RPA statements on impossibility of launching the full proportional system today, we should remember statements of the authorities on impossibility of conducting a dialogue with the opposition and impossibility of releasing political prisoners. However, the following developments proved reality and possibility of the opposition demands. Considering it, shifting to the full proportional system before May 6th, 2012, is quite possible.
Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to VK
