Thursday, November 1 2018 11:14

ArmInfo.Chairman of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe Gianni Buquicchio welcomes the initiative of the Armenian government to reform the Electoral Code. Gianni Buquicchio said this on October 31 during a meeting with the  acting. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

According to the press service of the government, Pashinyan thanked  the Venice Commission for its assistance in the implementation of  reforms of the electoral legislation. And about. The Prime Minister  noted that the IC reforms are aimed at forming the most free, fair  and transparent electoral system.  According to him, the RA  government attaches particular importance to co-operation with the CE  Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and  Human Rights (ODIHR) in carrying out the planned reforms.

Gianni Buquicchio, in turn, noted the importance of the planned  changes in the field of electoral legislation.  He noted that the  Venice Commission positively assessed the planned reforms aimed at  exercising citizens' electoral rights, protecting the rights of  observers, expanding media access, ensuring the transparency of  electoral processes, fighting electoral fraud, etc. The Chairman of  the Council of Europe Venice Commission expressed the hope that  reforms will be brought to life.

The parties discussed issues related to the electoral processes in  Armenia, as well as extraordinary parliamentary elections. As noted  by the. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the government  will do everything possible to conduct elections, the results of  which will not be called into question.  Recall that on October 28,  the parliamentary majority of the National Assembly of Armenia  represented by the Republican Party failed another attempt of the  government and a group of deputies from the Tsarukyan Bloc and Yelk  factions to amend the Electoral Code and the package of related laws.  Thus, given the limited time frame, the upcoming extraordinary  parliamentary elections will most likely be held in accordance with  the requirements of the current Electoral Code.