Oversight and Audit Service

1. The Audit and Oversight Service shall carry out oversight of the contributions made to campaign funds, expenditures and their calculation, as well as of the daily financial activities of political parties. The Audit and Oversight Service shall act independently from electoral commissions and shall not be accountable to them.

2. The position of the Head of the Oversight and Audit Service shall be a civil position, the other 2 employees of the Service shall be civil servants. The Head of the Oversight and Audit Service shall be appointed by the decision of the Central Electoral Commission for a term of 7 years. The official pay rates for the Head of the Oversight and Audit Service shall be prescribed by the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On remuneration for persons holding state positions”. The Head of the Service may not be a member of any political party.

3. For the purpose of ensuring the transparency and publicity of contributions made to campaign funds, expenditures and their calculation, each faction of the National Assembly may — within a 10-day period after calling elections of the National Assembly — appoint one auditor to the Oversight and Audit Service, qualified as an auditor in the Republic of Armenia and having the right of suffrage. The auditors of factions of the National Assembly appointed to the Oversight and Audit Service shall be remunerated for 2 months in the amount of 3-fold of the nominal amount of the minimum monthly salary prescribed by the legislation of the Republic of Armenia for each month. Their activities shall terminate on the 5th day following the announcement of election results.

4. During the regular elections of the National Assembly, Councils of Elders of Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, and elections of local self-government bodies, up to 5 specialists may be involved in the Oversight and Audit Service on a contractual basis for a period of up to 1 month.

5. The Oversight and Audit Service shall — within 7 days after receiving the declarations on the use of means available in campaign funds of candidates, political parties running in elections, but no later than 1 day before the time limit prescribed for summarisation of election results — carry out inspection, draw up a conclusion on inspection results and submit it to the Central Electoral Commission. The Central Electoral Commission shall be obliged to immediately publish it on the website of the Central Electoral Commission. In case violations are recorded in the conclusion, the Central Electoral Commission shall be obliged to examine them. A representative of the Oversight and Audit Service shall be invited to that sitting of the Central Electoral Commission.

6. Powers of the Oversight and Audit Service shall be as follows:

(1) receive from banks — where temporary special accounts are opened for the formation of campaign funds — relevant information, statements, carbon copies of documents on financial inflows and outflows of campaign funds of candidates, political parties running in elections;
(2) receive from banks, political parties and other organisations providing goods, services or carrying out works relevant information, statements, carbon copies of documents on membership fees paid to the political party, donations to the political party, budget financing, proceeds from civil transactions as well as other proceeds and expenditures not prohibited by the legislation;
(3) prepare draft decisions on issues related to its activities and submit them to the Central Electoral Commission for consideration.

7. The rules of procedure of the Oversight and Audit Service shall be prescribed by the Central Electoral Commission in compliance with the requirements of this Code and the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On political parties”.