The Armenian National Assembly today, by a vote of 99-1, passed a bill designed to facilitate the registration of political parties in the country.
According to current law, a party should have at least 800 members at the time of its founding, representing either the city of Yerevan or at least 1/3 of the regions of the republic.
The new bill now only states that a party should have at least 800 members.
If the current law requires parties to convene an assembly at least every four years, the bill reduces this period to two years. Moreover, an extraordinary congress may be convened on the initiative of the party members.
Eighteen-year-old citizens can now be party founders.
One clause in the bill mandates that the permanent governing body of the party (presidency, board, etc.) cannot be comprised of more than 60% of any one sex.