Parliament committee not to endorse shifting to 100 percent proportional electoral system: David Harutyunyan

YEREVAN, February 15. /ARKA/. The Armenian parliament committee on state and legal affairs will not endorse an opposition proposal to shift to 100 percent proportional (by party lists) electoral system, head of the committee, David Harutyunyan, said today.

Speaking at a parliament hearing on the proposal motioned by Zharangutyun (Heritage) and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) parties Harutyunyan said the rules of the game are not revised with only two months before the parliamentary elections.

"None of existing electoral systems across the world can be described as the best,” he said.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the Zharangutyun party suggested in 2011 December that the authorities agree to distribute all 131 seats in the National Assembly under the system of proportional representation. They also called for holding parliamentary hearing on this issue, which was backed by the Prosperous Armenia party, a member of the ruling coalition.

Under the existing law, only 90 seats will be up for grabs on the party-list basis. The remaining 41 deputies are to be elected on an individual basis.

Harutyunyan argued today that the transition to one hundred percent proportional electoral system contains threats.

"First, people who are not involved in politics, but enjoying some popular support will top electoral lists; second, party elites would dictate their will to all others and finally small and weak parties may be elected to parliament. As a result the contacts between elected lawmakers and voters would suffer," he added.

Harutyunyan further argued that transition to one hundred percent proportional electoral system will be possible only after democracy will prevail within Armenian parties. Next parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in May 2012. -0-