Changes Will Not Apply to the Snap Elections Scheduled for June: Ioannisyan

The draft amendments to the "Electoral Code" were decided to be accepted in a 24-hour regime. Daniil Ioannisyan, coordinator of the Civil Society Institute, stated in a conversation with reporters in the National Assembly today that the provisions being adopted will not extend to the snap elections.

"This is problematic, and naturally, the fact that it is being accepted in a 24-hour regime is also concerning. Therefore, it would have been justified if the project or some of its provisions had applied to the elections planned for 45 days later. These changes will not affect the snap elections in June, however, they would have impacted the quality of the snap elections by preventing numerous types of violations. Subsequently, several regulations were excluded from the project and will no longer be included. Since the project is being discussed in an urgent manner, there has not been time for proper discussions," Ioannisyan mentioned.

He added that both the "My Step" faction and village heads have administrative resources. The draft, which had been under discussion and forwarded to the Venice Commission, significantly reduced this risk. At the last moment, pressing the "delete" button removed many provisions, including those related to campaign regulations. "I do not want to create the impression that this was a draft written by civil society," he stated.

When reporters asked about the fight against corruption, Ioannisyan responded to Prime Minister Pashinyan's assertion that the backbone of corruption has been broken, saying: "The level of corruption in Armenia has significantly changed. There is a will to combat corruption. Unfortunately, the institutional capacities are not what we and the entire society would like to see," Ioannisyan said during a Q&A session with reporters.