On July 1, the National Assembly's Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs held a first-reading discussion of a bill that would increase penalties for offering, accepting, or mediating election bribes. The draft amendments to Armenia's Criminal Code were authored by MPs Alen Simonyan, Arusyak Julhakyan, Vahagn Aleksanyan, Alkhas Ghazaryan and Taguhi Ghazaryan.

Presenting the bill, Vahagn Aleksanyan said it proposes introducing strict professional restrictions for individuals convicted of such offenses, 1lurer.am reported.

According to Aleksanyan, election bribery remains one of the main threats to the democratic system because it undermines voters' free choice and weakens public confidence in elections.

The bill proposes substantially increasing the penalties provided under Articles 218 and 221 of the Criminal Code while introducing additional mechanisms to prevent such crimes. It also stipulates that individuals convicted of election bribery would be barred from holding positions in the state or municipal service, as well as administrative or discretionary public offices. The restriction would apply regardless of whether the person's criminal record has been expunged or has expired.

During the discussion, lawmakers stressed that holders of state and municipal offices exercise public authority and therefore should meet high standards of integrity, honesty and public trust. They said the proposed restrictions are intended to protect the reputation of public service and strengthen confidence in public administration.

The amendments are also aimed at eliminating corruption mechanisms that have long hindered the conduct of fair and transparent elections in Armenia.

Alkhas Ghazaryan, a member of the parliamentary Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs and the co-rapporteur on the bill, emphasized the importance of adopting the legislative package and urged fellow lawmakers to support it.

Deputy Justice Minister Gevorg Kocharyan presented the government's position and proposed amendments.

The revised legislative package, incorporating the government's recommendations, received the committee's positive opinion.