Daniel Ioannisyan. “The authorities have appeared between the devil and the deep blue sea”

Daniel Ioannisyan, Program Coordinator of the “Union of Informed Citizens” NGO, believes that the authorities will make concessions with regard to amendments to the Electoral Code. Note that co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Committee in fulfillment of commitments of Armenia, British Alan Mill and Italian Giuseppe Galati, agreed in their statement that as the Venice Commission has noticed, the RA Electoral Code is abstruse, which could affect the public confidence in the electoral system.” The rapporteurs also expressed concern with the provisions of the draft Electoral Code, which prohibits the coalitions consisted more than three parties to form a government in the first round of elections and give a short time to the parties for forming a ruling coalition prior to the setting the second round of the elections. In an interview with Aravot.am, Daniel Ioannisyan said that the authorities have appeared between the devil and the deep blue sea. On the one hand, they want to be re-produced in the 2017 elections, on the other hand, they have assumed international obligations and promises in the sense that the adoption of the Electoral Code will be as a result of a consensus with the opposition. In this situation, Mr. Ioannisyan is convinced that the only solution is for the authorities to make concessions, “At least, the proposals that were presented by the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR must be accepted. For example, the number of parties, transparency of voters lists, attestation of observers. The authorities do not agree with the transparency of voters lists but offer a way of access to them that we do not agree with; we demand methods that will provide a real access.”