No ground for speculations on majoritarian system’s privileges for businessmen: Constitutional Right Union head

YEREVAN, March 20. /ARKA/. Speculations implying that only entrepreneurs will be elected to the parliament by majoritarian electoral system have no ground, Hayk Babukhanian, chairman of the Constitutional Right Union party, said Tuesday at Novosti International Press Centre.

“Certainly, constituents will give preference to the candidates who have been working in their district for a long time and have done much for its residents, but they are not necessarily entrepreneurs,” Babukhanian said.

The bill on abolition of majoritarian electoral system was initiated by both, the parliamentary (Heritage, Dashnaktsutyun ) and extra-parliamentary (Armenian National Congress) oppositions. However, the parliamentary majority rejected the bill. The initiative to abolish the majoritarian system rose from a number of arguments against it, such as great corruption risks and businessmen’s representation in the parliament. 

Babukhanian said the majoritarian system allows the constituents to elect a candidate who will represent them in the parliament. 

“No one will enter the election via majoritarian system, if one is not sure to have trust and support from the district’s constituents; and it is possible only if one is familiar in person with the constituents and their problems that must to be represented in the parliament,” he said.

Babukhanian also pointed out that complete proportional lists of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, which also contain the names of candidates from the Constitutional Right Union party, will be announced on March 21.

Hayk Babukhanian is the 19th in the electoral list of the Republican Party. 

The next parliamentary elections will be held in Armenia on May 6, 2012. The National Assembly of Armenia is made up of 131 deputies (41 deputies are elected by majoritarian system, and 90- by proportional). –0--