Armenian Parliament OKs amendments to Electoral Code

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian parliament voted on Friday, May 7 to change the country's Electoral Code. The measure was approved with 81 lawmakers voting in favor of the changes, 0 against and 0 abstaining, Speaker of the National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan said.

The electoral threshold for parties was thus lowered from 5% to 4%. That of blocs, however, was raised from the previous 7% – to 8% for three-party blocks and to 10% for blocs of four and more parties.

In early April, the National Assembly approved draft amendments on holding snap elections in the country under a proportional system.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on March 18 that Armenia will hold snap parliamentary elections on June 20. the PM came under fire after signing a statement with the Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents to end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh almost 45 days after the start of the military hostilities. Under the deal, the Armenian side was forced to return all the seven regions surrounding Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.