Will political parties be formed around personalities or values? (video)
To start a new political party in Armenia, the given force needs to have at least 100 members under the new Law on Political Parties which passed its first reading in the National Assembly on November 29. Besides, a political party can have at least 1000 members instead of the fixed 2000 members. Will the change have a positive impact on the country’s political domain? “I see some level of liberalization in the law, which is, of course, a positive thing. On the other hand, I think that the culture should force political parties to do their work. The question is whether political parties will again be formed around personalities or values, whether they will serve their primary purpose or simply gather 3-4 beautiful girls and boys to do some work,” says Tevan Poghosyan of the Heritage Party. The opposition lawmaker says the new Law on Political Parties will yield positive results if Armenia has a strong middle class. On November 29, the National Assembly voted 99 to 1 to pass the amendments to the Law on Political Parties in its first reading.
