‘Specifically for Those Searching for Hairs in Eggs’: Vahagn Hovakimyan

Member of the ‘My Step’ faction in the National Assembly, Vahagn Hovakimyan, wrote on his Facebook page: ‘On the issue of fundraising or the delicate art of searching for hairs in eggs. On February 25, the ‘Civil Contract’ party organized a fundraising event, during which the collected funds were intended to be spent on the party's current needs and the YES campaign. This has been announced multiple times, including officially during the fundraising event.

The process was organized and conducted in accordance with the law of the Republic of Armenia. It seems everything is quite clear: the party organized a fundraising event, informing potential donors of the purpose for which the funds would be used. However, there are still people who stubbornly try to find hairs in eggs and even issue statements.

For those specifically searching for hairs in eggs, the process of making donations to parties is regulated by the Constitutional Law on Political Parties (Article 24). The use of funds for the purpose of the April 5, 2020 referendum campaign is governed by the Constitutional Law on Referendum. In particular, according to paragraph 1 of Article 20, the amount of contributions to the funds of the campaign sides for a referendum cannot exceed 100 million drams.

To simplify, during the fundraising event on February 25, from the 205 million drams collected, up to 100 million drams can be spent for the referendum campaign. The remaining amount can be spent by the fundraising organizer, the ‘Civil Contract’ party, for its current needs, as announced before, during, and after the fundraising.

Of course, individuals can interpret and comment on the process that took place before everyone's eyes in their own way; that is their right. Moreover, some of them have a long-standing habit of presenting events in a way that bears no relation to reality. Again, it is their right; no one is deprived of the right to be creative. There is simply no need to present one’s own fictions as fact.’