The Venice Commission has again expressed iuts concern over some proposals on the new draft Electoral Code of Armenia.
The experts think that the 20 minutes, during which the lists of the citizens who went to the polls will be available to the parties' proxies, are not enough, Prosperous Armenia Party leader Naira Zohrabyan said following a meeting with the Venice Commission experts. She noted that the experts think it reasonable to extend that time to at least 40 minutes.
They also asked the Armenian Delegation whether there are funds to implement the additional measures to rule out possible electoral fraud, as agreed by the authorities and the opposition. The Armenian lawmakers replied that they are short of 5 mln USD to implement these mechanisms and that the lack of the funds may disrupt the arrangements between the authorities and the opposition. The Venice Commission representatives promised to help find the financial means.
To note, the authorities and the opposition have recently reached a consensus on the Electoral Code. The representatives of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia promised to take into consideration the opposition's proposals related to voting with single ID cards, inking of the voters' fingers, as well as live transmission of the voting process. The opposition thinks these measures can minimize the risks of electoral fraud. However, there are no enough budget funds to implement these measures. So, the arrangements between the authorities and the opposition may be disrupted if the donor organizations fail to provide the necessary funds.