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2007 Assessment

Armenia: Integrity Indicators Scorecard

Armenia: Integrity Scorecard Report > Sub-Category: Political Financing
Indicators   Score
20 Are there regulations governing political financing? 100
21 Are the regulations governing political financing effective? 0
22 Can citizens access records related to political financing? 8

Indicator and sub-Indicator Details

20 Are there regulations governing political financing?
 
  20a: In law, there are regulations governing private contributions to political parties.
 
Score: YES  NO score
  Comments:

References: The Law on Political Parties of the Republic of Armenia www.parliament.am www.arlis.am

  20b: In law, there are limits on individual donations to candidates and political parties.
 
Score: YES  NO score
  Comments: According to the Law on Political Parties of the Republic of Armenia, Article 25, there are restrictions on the contributions from foreign citizens. Anonymous donations and gifts are not allowed as well.

References: The Law on Political Parties of The Republic of Armenia www.parliament.am www.arlis.am

  20c: In law, there are limits on corporate donations to candidates and political parties.
 
Score: YES  NO score
  Comments: According to the Law on Political Parties of the Republic of Armenia, Article 25, there are restrictions on the contributions from foreign citizens. Anonymous donations and gifts are also not allowed.

References: Law on Political Parties of the Republic of Armenia, Article 25, Point 7 www.arlis.am

  20d: In law, there are limits on total political party expenditures.
 
Score: YES  NO score
  Comments: The Law on Political Parties of the Republic of Armenia does not allow donations to political parties from religious, charitable and non-profit organizations.

References: The Law on Political Parties of the Republic of Armenia, Article 25 www.arlis.am

  20e: In law, there are requirements for disclosure of donations to political candidates and parties.
 
Score: YES  NO score
  Comments:

References: The Law on Political Parties of the Republic of Armenia

  20f: In law, there are requirements for the independent auditing of the finances of political parties and candidates.
 
Score: YES  NO score
  Comments:

References: The Law on Political Parties of the Republic of Armenia

  20g: In law, there is an agency or entity that monitors the political financing process.
 
Score: YES  NO score
  Comments:

References: Law on Political Parties of the Republic of Armenia www.arlis.am

21 Are the regulations governing political financing effective?
 
  21a: In practice, the limits on individual donations to candidates and political parties are effective in regulating an individual's ability to financially support a candidate or political party.
 
Score: 100  75  50  25  0  score
  Comments: In reality, as recent Parliamentary elections showed in Armenia, the vast majority of individual contributions to a candidate or political party were made outside of the formal limitations. It has been especially obvious with pro-government parties Bargavach Hayastan and Hanrapetutiun, which have spent millions to bribe voters.

References: Interview with Karen Zadoyan, president of Armenian Young Lawyers Association (July 23, 2007, at his office)

  21b: In practice, the limits on corporate donations to candidates and political parties are effective in regulating a company's ability to financially support a candidate or political party.
 
Score: 100  75  50  25  0  score
  Comments: Armenia is governed by four to five oligarchs. They have tremendous influence on candidates and political parties, and make donations outside of the formal limitation system.

References: Interview with Karen Zadoyan, president of Armenian Young Lawyers Association (July 23, 2007, at his office)

  21c: In practice, the limits on total party expenditures are effective in regulating a political party's ability to fund campaigns or politically-related activities.
 
Score: 100  75  50  25  0  score
  Comments: There are some limitations on funding of political parties during the elections. However, pro-government parties such as Bargavach Hayastan, Hanrapetutuin and Dashnaktsutyun are outside of this limitation system.

References: Interview with Karen Zadoyan, president of Armenian Young Lawyers Association (July 23, 2007, at his office)

Peer Review Comments: The first pro-governmental party is Hanrapetakan, not Hanrapetutuin.

  21d: In practice, when necessary, an agency or entity monitoring political financing independently initiates investigations.
 
Score: 100  75  50  25  0  score
  Comments: The Law on Parties regulates annual financial reports on the incomes and expenditures of parties and has clear-cut criteria on state budget allocations to parties. Only the political parties that earn at least five percent of the vote in the elections are funded from the state budget. Some political parties receive financial aid from abroad, which is prohibited by the law. However, the Central Election Committee did not investigate these cases, as well as cases related to the political corruption of the parties sponsored by the government.

References: Interview with Karen Zadoyan, president of Armenian Young Lawyers Association (July 23, 2007, at his office)

  21e: In practice, when necessary, an agency or entity monitoring political financing imposes penalties on offenders.
 
Score: 100  75  50  25  0  score
  Comments: The Central Electoral Commission imposes penalties only on opposition parties and candidates and has no power over pro-government parties and candidates.

References: Interview with Karen Zadoyan, president of Armenian Young Lawyers Association (July 23, 2007, at his office)

  21f: In practice, contributions to political parties and candidates are audited.
 
Score: 100  75  50  25  0  score
  Comments:

References: Interview with Karen Zadoyan, president of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association (July 23, 2007 at his office)

22 Can citizens access records related to political financing?
 
  22a: In practice, political parties and candidates disclose data relating to financial support and expenditures within a reasonable time period.
 
Score: 100  75  50  25  0  score
  Comments: Political parties and candidates are required to submit financial supporters to the State Electoral Commission, however these reports have not been published.

References: Interview with Karen Zadoyan, president of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association (July 23, 2007 at his office) Media observation

  22b: In practice, citizens can access the financial records of political parties and candidates within a reasonable time period.
 
Score: 100  75  50  25  0  score
  Comments: For citizens it is practically impossible to access the financial records of political parties without allowance of Judicial or State Tax agencies.

References: Interview with Karen Zadoyan, president of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association (July 23, 2007 at his office)

  22c: In practice, citizens can access the financial records of political parties and candidates at a reasonable cost.
 
Score: 100  75  50  25  0  score
  Comments: For citizens it is practically impossible to access the financial records of political parties without allowance of Judicial or State Tax agencies.

References: Interview with Karen Zadoyan, president of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association (July 23, 2007, at his office)

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