Tsarukyan bloc broke the law with election promises: CECMarch 9, 2017 - 16:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ex-lawmaker, founder and former leader of Prosperous Armenia party Gagik Tsarukyan has violated the law by promising money or material benefits when starting off his election campaign, the Central Electoral Commission said on Thursday, March 9. According to commission chief Tigran Mukuchyan, a warning has been issued to Tsarukyan bloc. “No such promises can be made, such cases are violating the law,” Mukuchyan said, according to RFE/RL Armenian Service. “We have already warned the party representatives to stop those practices and refrain from breaking the law.” Should the bloc continue such conduct, the CEC will file a corresponding appeal and take measures set out in the Electoral Code, Mukuchyan added. Under the Electoral Code, parties are prohibited to promise money, food, goods or services to voters during the election campaign. On Tuesday, Tsarukyan promised the residents of Tavush a variety of goods and services, including plegdes to gasify a building, provide assistance for a person’s surgery, buy farmers' produce, provide agricultural equipment to one of the border villages, or even help one of the residents repair his car. After the warning was issued, a Tsarukyan bloc candidate,Hayk Ghukasyan said the alliance will abide by the law and will instead implement all campaign promises after elections. Parliamentary elections will be held on April 2. Nine blocs and parties are participating overall. Read also:Armenians trust Tsarukyan, PM Karapetyan: pre-election poll Related links: Top stories David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. U.S. believes peace is “possible” in South Caucasus The United States continues to believe that peace is possible in the South Caucasus, Vedant Patel said. |