Authorities’ claims about public discussions do not correspond to reality: Manukyan

At the extraordinary session that has begun in the National Assembly, Gegham Manukyan, a deputy from the “Armenia” faction and member of the ARF Supreme Body, raised the issue of a new legislative bill included on the agenda, sharply criticizing the haste surrounding its adoption and the creation of an illusion of supposedly public discussions.

The deputy stated that the ruling majority’s claims that the bill underwent broad public discussion do not correspond to reality. He spoke about recent public debates with a deputy from the “Civil Contract” faction, in which representatives of about 15 non-governmental organizations working on electoral and civil rights issues also took part.

“Whatever question we asked, Ms. Ghazaryan kept saying there was still time. I even asked whether there was a conclusion from the National Assembly’s expert department or not. The answer was the same: there’s still time, it will come. The bill has now been submitted to parliament, but the important conclusion from the NA’s expert department, which is usually provided for numerous bills, is completely absent here,” Manukyan emphasized.