Parliamentary Election to Fulfill Promise of Velvet Revolution

The electoral system is very complicated and very few people understand its workings. But people vote anyway. Pashinyan tried to overhaul the electoral system but the corrupt parliament struck down the drive by one vote.

There are 13 electoral precincts in the country, from which 101 members of parliament will be elected. Candidates will be elected in two ways: on a party ticket or a rating system.

The parties have to hit the 5-percent margin to be elected whereas an alliance needs a 7-percent margin. Any party which crosses the 5-percent threshold will elect 10 members to the parliament. On the back of the ballot there is a long list of other set of candidates who will be elected based on the votes they receive nationwide.

Any party which receives 42 percent of votes will be entitled to bonus votes which will raise its percentage to 50-percent-plus-one. That party will form the cabinet and designate the prime minister.

Pashinyan’s party is poised to win 80 percent of the vote. But the constitution does not allow any party to control the parliament with that kind of power. Assuming that Pashinyan will hit that percentage point, his party will lose 10 percent of this in practice because 30 percent of the parliament is allocated to the opposition. At least two parties may constitution the opposition. If the second party in the opposition fails to cross the 5 percent barrier, its candidates will be elected to assume a two-party opposition mandated by the constitution.

November 14 is the deadline for submitting the slate of candidates and paying the participation fee. Candidates can only run on party tickets. They may not run as individuals.

At this time, the following parties or alliances have decided to participate in the elections:

• My Step headed by Pashinyan. It is a foregone conclusion that Pashinyan and his group will sweep the elections.
• Prosperous Armenia headed by Gagik Tsarukyan. The latter has been distributing charity year round which may amount to a solid bloc of votes.
• Menk Alliance headed by Aram Sargsyan, brother of slain Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan.

The Armenian Democratic Liberal (ADL) Party may also join the Menk Alliance.

• Loosavor Hayastan (Bright Armenia) Alliance, headed by Edmond Maroukyan. Maroukyan and Sargsyan were planning to participate in a joint alliance but they recent split, each going their own way. The split may hurt both groups.
• The Heritage Party, headed by Armen Martirosyan.

Discredited groups are the following which may receive a minimal number of votes:

• The Republican Party, headed by Vigen Sargsyan. This was the ruling party headed by the deposed prime minister, Serzh Sargsyan.
• The ARF (Dashnaktsutsyun) headed by Hrand Markaryan
• Sasna Dzerer, headed by Jirayr Sefilyan. This group represents an extremist faction which overran a police station last year and resulted in the deaths of several officers. As a result Sefilyan and several others were tried and jailed. The party’s leadership was recently released from jail and they are still full of rage and rancor.
• Yerkir Dzirany (Country of Apricots) led by Parliament Member Zarouhi Postanjyan has not revealed its intentions yet.

If the voter turnout is low once again, blame may be laid at the lack of bribes. The Velvet Revolution will not fulfill its goal until it accomplishes its next mission, placing the country on the true path of democracy. Once Pashinyan wins his mandate, he can fully immerse himself in the economic recovery of the country which is facing so many domestic and global challenges.