18. In the view of the Venice Commission and ODIHR, the aim behind including the above principles in the current amendments is positive and can contribute to reinforcing the ideals of universal, equal, free and direct voting and highlighting the values on which the new Armenian electoral system is based. While the aim of reinforcing the principles is welcomed, there are risks with including a non-exhaustive list and duplicating existing legislation (see below). Further, some interlocutors raised doubts as to whether these principles would be truly implemented in practice, it is of course crucial to guarantee that these principles be consistently upheld when applying the Electoral Code in real-life situations.