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On September 18, in Ani Plaza Hotel at the initiative of the RA NA My Step Faction with the support of the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation and with the cooperation of the Electoral Reform Working Group a public hearing was held on the theme Financing of Parties being held in the framework of the legislative amendments of the RA Law on Parties.

The RA NA Vice President Lena Nazaryan, the NA deputies, local and international experts and representatives of parties attended the event.

The deputy of the NA My Step Faction Hamazasp Danielyan has noted that the main goal of the public debate is to create an additional platform of gathering the beneficiaries’ opinions, as well as provide information on the international best experience through the leading specialists’ involvement. He considered important the rectification of the contradictions existing in the law on Parties and in the Electoral Code. As the MP has assured, the provisions concerning the financing of campaign and parties will be established in a new way. “The transparency of financial entries and exits will be provided which is one of the important preconditions for the establishment of trust in the society. The transparency of financial sources of parties will decrease the corruption risks,” the MP said.

In his welcoming remarks the Director of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Foundation South Caucasus Office Felix Hett considered important the cooperation with the Armenian side, due to which the investment of the European countries best experience will be possible in the relevant legislation.

The Expert of Parties and Political Finances, the Associate Professor of the United Kingdom Nottingham University Fernando Casal Bertoa, presenting the international best experience of the political finances, informed that the European different countries solved the item of the parties' financing in a peculiar way. According to him, in the Netherlands the state means are delivered with the percentage of the MPs' seats. In Germany the financing is done on the basis of the gathered votes. The opposition parties are financed in the United Kingdom. It was also noted that the state support is of great importance in the development of parties. “In its turn the party system promotes the development of democracy,” the speaker said.

The MP of the Bright Armenia Faction Gevorg Gorgisyan noted that the state support would promote the elimination of corruption, and the financial transparency would ban the so-called financing of the parties by the oligarchs. “The political forces should be independent from any business and person, and for that the amount of the state financing is necessary to increase,” the MP said.

The MP of the Prosperous Armenia Faction Sergey Bagratyan, noting that we should work out a new legislation in New Armenia, highlighted the improvement of the Electoral Code, as well as the specification of the issues connected with the campaign financing. “We should get rid of the so called rating system,” the MP said and added that the legislation should be admissible for the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary political forces.

During the discussion numerous issues concerning the sphere were raised. It has been noted that the public discussions would be of continuous character.