Republican party will not have entrepreneurs on its proportional list

YEREVAN, February 25. /ARKA/. The Republican Party of Armenia will not have entrepreneurs on its proportional list for May 6 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian told the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern today. He was quoted as saying by the government press office that the authorities will do everything possible to ensure maximum transparency of the polls.

"This will help to hold free, fair and transparent elections in accordance with democratic standards,” he said.

The two men were said to have emphasized also the establishment of the Commission on Ethics for senior officials that will oversee publication of declarations of assets and income by about 500 government officials.

‘The first declarations are to be submitted by 15 March. These declarations will be partially open,’ Tigran Sarkisian said.

The U.S. diplomat was said to welcome the steps of the government and legislative initiatives designed to provide the opposition with a set of tools to hold free, fair and transparent elections. 

The two men also discussed a draft law "On legal regime of the state of emergency." In this connection, Sarkisian said the bill was amended in view of opposition proposals and re-submitted to parliament.

Heffern said that January 29 he was present at a lecture delivered by Sarkisian in Tsakhkadzor to the students of Yerevan School of Political Sciences.

"The lecture was very interesting. Your taking questions from the participants of the meeting for several hours is worthy of praise," the ambassador said.-0-