Hrayr Tovmasyan to write memoirs about disagreements in the party (video)
Republican lawmaker Hrayr Tovmasyan does not think the newly introduced preferential voting system has cast a shadow on the parliamentary elections. “It worked not only for a shorter period of time, but also for the future, it hints what our political parties need to do, what tactics they should employ and what structure they should have to gain a victory in future. Mr Tovmasyan does not insist that the preferential voting system is the best, but he cannot understand why the system led to large-scale vote-buying. “There is no connection between the electoral system and electoral violations. Those violations can occur in the majoritarian voting system, proportional election system and in mixed systems,” he said. He advocated for a system where members of the same party began to fight against each other. Mr Tovmasyan calls this a domestic struggle in which other Republicans were fighting against Samvel Alexanyan and Mihran Poghosyan apart from candidates from other political parties. “We made the right choice which produced the results, which I, as a co-author of the system, expected to receive.” As a co-author of the new constitution, Mr Tovmasyan is aware of the negative attitude towards the preferential voting system. Anyway, he says it does not matter. “I am not going to reject that system.” If the party decides to refuse the system, he will present his position which is definiety in favour of the system. "But I am one of the members of the Republican faction, and if the faction decides otherwise, then I am with my partymates.” Hrayr Tovmasyan says even in the semi-presidential system, Serzh Sargsyan has never taken decisions alone. Where do you know and how can you be sure of it? When I retire, I promise you to write down memories about specific cases of controversy and contradictory decisions."
