“Today we announce the start of a nationwide petition demanding the reduction of the electricity tariff,” stated Gohar Meloyan, a member of the “Our Way” movement, during a press conference.
“In May of this year, the head-owner of Electric Networks of Armenia CJSC submitted an application to the Public Services Regulatory Commission requesting that, thanks to approximately 3 billion drams accumulated through efficient management, the electricity tariff for the population be reduced. That application was rejected on the grounds that the accumulated amount might decrease during the next half-year.
However, as the owners had accurately calculated, in the second half of the year this amount not only doubled but exceeded twice the previous figure. At this moment, more than 6 billion drams have accumulated,” she said, adding that on October 30, ‘Tashir Capital’ again submitted an application to the Public Services Regulatory Commission demanding a reduction in electricity tariffs.
Meloyan noted that the Commission has not responded to the application to this day, and therefore the “Our Way” movement is launching a nationwide signature campaign in the form of a petition.
“The petition is a mechanism that implements key democratic institutions of public oversight and accountability established by the 2015 constitutional reforms. Through it, citizens can submit applications and demands to state bodies concerning issues directly affecting their lives,” she explained.