On September 9, the fourth session of the Parliament’s fifth convocation will be declared open. “Mandate” NGO and parliamentmonitoring.am summed up and published the statistical data concerning the activities of the 3rd session, yerkirmedia.am reports.

A team comprised of experts and journalists observed that the plans, reports and announcements on behalf of various bodies were unprecedentedly more but the Parliament’s supervision hadn’t grown.

As opposed to the previous session, the Parliament’s legislative activity was slightly bigger although the executive branch is still ahead. “We meticulously follow up the level of initiative in the Parliament. If, in the last session the ratio was 94/6, this time it was 84/6 but still in the benefit of the government. Meaning, the author of the 84% of the approved laws is the government; five times more active than the legislative branch” said Mandate NGO President, Lusine Vasilyan.

Mandate NGO and parliamentmonitoring.am have also observed the performance of the MPs and the Factions. The Republican Party (HHK) has been more active than it was during the last session, the Rule of Law Party’s (OEK) voting portrait is a repetition of the Republican Party, the Armenian National Congress (HAK) is the party with the most “against” votes, ARF-D is the most active one, while Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) the most passive. “An MP can voice one issue that can cause a storm to the political arena while dozens of issues may be raised just to fill the water mill with water” commented PAP member, Tigran Ourikhanyan. The results of the work of the parliamentmonitoring.am are often a subject of discussion, particularly when it comes to the absences and votes of the MPs. “There is a kind of competition between the MPs” said Republican Party Faction’s Secretary, Hovhannes Sahakyan. “One can argue that this initiative poses a positive pressure of preventive nature” he said.

Parliamentmonitoring.am will continue to compare the data in regards to MPs’ property, speeches, questions and votes.  A relevant finding, for instance, showed that MPs Tigran Ourikhanyan and Artsvik Minasyan (ARF-D) haven’t once voted the same.

Artsvik Minasyan was also named the most active member of the Parliament. Moreover he is one of the two MPs who replied to letters posted by the site’s readers. “Where is the money of the First Republic” the reader asked. “Simon Vratsyan [one of the four Prime Ministers of the First Republic of Armenia] has written in detail about that. To answer to the reader’s question, I forwarded him Simon Vratsyan’s letter” said Minasyan.