A debate on amendments to the RA “Law Regarding Public Serice” resumed today in the National Assembly at which only 13 MP’s were present.

What follows is a summary of what of few of those MP’s had to say.

Prosperous Party MP Samvel Balasanyan, who also serves as the Deputy President of the National Assembly, expressed his concern that the draft legislation would prevent civil servants and other top officials from using their office to promote the interests of their political parties and civic organizations, including religious groupings.

Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan stated that the law wouldn’t restrict the rights of MP’s but that they wouldn’t be able to their position to advance a certain political party’s interests.

MP Balasanyan retorted, “How can I, a member of the Prosperous Party not mention the party’s name or defend its policies. This parliament is a political structure, no?”

It could be that MP Balasanyan is concerned that he will meet the same fate of his predecessor, Arevik Petrosyan, who was removed from the post by Gagik Tsarukyan, the party’s leader, for being too “passive” in promoting the party. To which the justice minister responded, “That will not be prohibited when giving an address; feel free.”

Heghineh Bisharyan, who heads the Rule of Law parliamentary delegation, minced no words declaring that the draft legislation was “unjust”.

The MP focused on that part of the draft concerning gifts. It appears that the new law will require MP’s to declare, as soon as possible, if they receive gifts amounting to more than 50,000 AMD from the same person within a calendar year or if the total gifts received exceed 250,000 AMD.

MP Bisharyan also complained about the fact that she would have to submit an income declaration for her children since they are adults.

She told Hetq that the gifts’ clause would never work in practice since there were 131 MP’s in the parliament and that such transactions could never be monitored.

“How will they ever know who visited which MP’s office and what gifts were exchanged? Do they plan on installing cameras in each office?”