98 votes in favor and 9 votes against; the Draft Electoral Code was adopted in the first reading in the National Assembly. 5 MPs abstained.
This Drafts was adopted in the heated atmosphere, by the second ballot.
Prior to the vote the opposition MPs were asking for the comments on procedure, but the NA President said that he will give the right to speech only after the vote and announced the voting.
After the vote, passions rose, MP Zaruhi Postanjyan was quite angry. MP Levon Zurabyan said that the Draft was adopted in violation of all requirements of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly. “You’ve put a very bad thing in the basis of this Electoral Code, you violate the basic requirements. Why do you put a “bomb” under this Draft just from the very beginning?”
MP Hermine Naghdalyan turned to Zurabyan said, “You all have the Rules of Procedure. According to paragraph 1 of Article 56, A Deputy makes comments on the procedure…before and after the voting and before the speech on the next motion. After the vote you were provided the right to makes comments. There is absolutely no violation of the comments on the procedure or “bomb” here,” she said.
