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On October 28, at the initiative of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs working discussion on NA Rules of Procedure draft law was held.

The Committee Chair Hovhannes Sahakyan has noted that the amendments being proposed stem from the Constitutional reforms. He informed that a working professional group was formed for implementing the works of the elaboration of the NA Rules of Procedure draft law, which tried to raise all the problems, which occurred during the work and to give the tools and mechanisms to the parliament, which would allow executing the authorities reserved to the parliament by the new Constitution.

Mr Sahakyan noted that though the law had been undergone main amendments through years, nevertheless there were a number of problems, which needed to be solved, those were: the accumulation of the NA agenda items, the absence of the procedure of amending the draft laws by voting during the debate of the items at the NA Standing Committees, the lasting debate of the items at the NA sittings, and practical mechanisms were proposed relating to these items. The participants touched upon the inclusion of the items on the agenda of the NA extraordinary sittings, which had not been debated in the Standing Committees. Mr Sahakyan has informed that in this issue rough solutions had been proposed until the issue was not debated at the Standing Committee: it cannot be included in the agenda of the extraordinary sitting, except when the Government will in detail substantiate its emergency in case of one draft law.

The National Assembly will have a series of control functions, will control the executive power and a number of practical mechanisms were proposed, particularly after the end of every quarter during 40 days the Government will submit a certificate to the NA on the procedure of the state budget execution. The National Assembly with the conclusion of the Audit Chamber will debate and make a decision on the state budget execution on the annual report being submitted by the Government.

The factions shall convene sittings with the amendments being proposed, make legislative initiatives, and have the right of making interpellations in written form to the members of the Government. The role of the NA Standing Committees, which will implement parliamentary monitoring, shall also be raised.

It has been noted that by the New Rules of Procedure at one of the sittings during the week of the regular session sittings at least by the demand of one quarter of the total number of the deputies, debates on urgent theme of public interest may be held. Distinct mechanisms were also defined for the opposition in order they shall have levers for advancing their programmes and give solutions.

The key speaker also touched upon the order of the election of the RA President and a number of officials in particular, at the second phase the candidate who received at least the third fifth of the votes of the deputies’ total number will be elected the RA President. The CC judges, the candidate of the Court of Appeal, the members of the Higher Judicial Council, the Prosecutor General, the Human Rights Defender, the CEC Chairman and other members, the members of the Television and Radio Commission will be elected by at least one third fifth of the votes of the deputies’ total number.

One of the NA Deputy Speakers will be an opposition representative.

Submitting the amendments being proposed, the key speaker has noted that the formation of the NA Council is a novice: the NA Speaker and the Deputy Speakers, the Heads of the Factions and the Committee Chairs will be in the NA Council.

Hovhannes Sahakyan noted that the structure of the NA Rules of Procedure had been specified. An amendment had also be made in the sequence of the convocation of the sittings: on Monday the NA Council will convene a sitting, will make a decision on the agenda and the sequence of the items, after which from Tuesday until Friday from 10:00 until 18:00 sittings will be convened.

Mr Sahakyan has underlined that the amendments being proposed will provide the regular work of the National Assembly and added that the mechanisms are rather flexible and will let the NA works be organized more dynamic.

The Committee Chair noted that the goal of this discussion was the voicing of the conceptual approaches and added that after this meeting there will be debates on the theme. He urged his colleagues to submit recommendations in written form.

The NA Deputies addressed many questions to the key speaker, and Hovhannes Sahakyan gave clarifications. The questions mainly related to the interpellations, the procedure of the deputy’s removal from the faction, the order of holding the sittings, the sequence of the items under debate, the increase of the factions’ authorities, the rise of the factions’ role, the order of giving time for speeches by the order of conducting and other provisions.

In his final speech Hovhannes Sahakyan has noted that the working group is ready to discuss all recommendations and expressed hope that the colleagues' concerns will promote to have more improved draft law.