Earlier this week, President Armen Sargsyan signed the legislative package on making changes and additions to the Constitutional Law on Parties, which was adopted by the RA National Assembly at the end of the year.
The package of draft amendments to the Constitutional Law on Parties was discussed and adopted by the parliament in the second reading on December 29, with 1 vote against and 99 votes in favor. The adopted package envisages significant changes, liberalization-facilitation of party registration and creation. A strong direction for change is to increase the financial transparency of parties.
It should be noted that the adopted law does not contain the proposal that was hotly debated in the first reading, according to which “the number of representatives of each sex in the permanent governing body of the party should not exceed 60%.” It should be reminded that the opponents called that demand “outdated”. As a result, the political forces reached a consensus, deciding not to fall prematurely, to encourage gender equality in the governing bodies of the parties in another way, that is, through financial leverage.
According to Hamazasp Danielyan, Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, a significant change has been made in the conditions of state financing of parties, which consists of two parts: general state financing and targeted state financing. The amendments fix that the total funding volume becomes 60%, and the target funding volume – 40%. Moreover, the targeted financing will be implemented in three main directions. 20% will be allocated to the parties, taking into account the gender distribution in the executive body, 10% will be allocated for the parties to have offices in the regions, and the other 10% will be allocated for the study and publication of the party’s ideology, public policy issues. This package also limits all measures to increase the role of women in parties.
It should be noted that the state financing of parties (state subsidy) is carried out at the expense of the state budget of the Republic of Armenia; and at least two percent of the number of inaccuracies, and in the case of a party alliance, seven percent.
The adopted amendments are intended to facilitate the procedures for registration and creation of parties.
Another significant change is the clarification of the provision that allows parties to have a media outlet for publishing their ideology.
According to the new law parties cannot be financed by business and foreign organizations, at the same time the amount of funding provided by the state will increase.
The party leader or leadership is deprived of the opportunity to make individual decisions, the role of ordinary party members increases. For example, the election of a party leader becomes a secret under a new law to avoid pressure on party members.
