4. STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PARTY
4.1
The Party’s structural hierarchy is as follows: the Party Congress, the Council, the Board, the Chairperson of the Board, the Statutory Committee, the Supervisory Committee, and the Territorial Subdivisions.
4.2
The Party Congress is the highest authority of the Party. Decisions adopted at the Congress shall be binding for the Party members and bodies.
4.3
Congress is entitled to the right of making final decisions on any issue of the Party management and its activity.
4.4
The Party may convene a regular or a special Congress. Regular Congresses of the party shall be held with no less frequency than once every two years.
4.5
Congress is convened in the form of a joint meeting of Party members or delegates elected by the members. The Party Board shall decide the procedure for holding the Congress.
4.6
Participants shall be notified about the Congress agenda, the venue, and the date by the Party Board at least 14 days before the regular Congress and at least 7 days before in the case of special Congress. Method of notification shall be decided by the Party Board.
4.7
Special Congress of the Party is held on demand of the Party Council, Party Board, the Supervisory Committee (the Supervisor), and at written request of 1/3 of the Party members within a 7-day period. Participants of Regular or Special Congresses shall be notified according to Article 4.6 of Charter.
4.8
Membership and revocation procedures shall be temporarily suspended between the decision to hold a Congress and the election of delegates for the Congress.
4.9
The Party Congress has exclusive power to:
a) approve the Party Charter and Program, as well as make amendments and addenda to those documents, adopt a new Charter and Program;
b) elect the Party Board, Statutory and Supervisory Committees;
c) make a decision on the reorganization and liquidation of the Party;
d) approve the political report of the Chairperson of the Board of the Party;
e) approve the reports on Party activities, finances, and property;
f) approve the candidate for presidency nominated by the Party Board.
Congress shall be valid if at least 2/3 of the delegates have been registered. Decisions envisaged in subpoints a), b), c), d), e), and f) of the present article shall be adopted by a majority vote of the Congress delegates.
4.10
The Party Council is:
a) a permanent body composed of 41 members, 30 of which shall be delegates selected by
Party subdivisions in a number and according to the procedure defined by the Party Board. The other 11 members are ex officio Board members, including the Chairperson of the Party Board;
b) entitled to nominate a candidate for presidency during regular or special Presidential elections, which shall be approved by the Party Congress;
c) entitled to decide on the Party’s participation in the parliamentary elections, as well as in the elections for vacant parliamentary seats; approve the pre-election list of the candidates for members of parliament presented by the Party Board (chairperson of regional subdivisions and organizational units shall participate in this meeting by a consultative vote);
d) entitled to decide, by proposal of the Party Board, on Party’s involvement in political alliances;
e) entitled to decide on Party-nominated individuals’ activities working at the Party’s parliamentary fraction and in the other elective and executive offices in the Republic in the framework of RA laws, including the Rules of Procedure of the RA National Assembly;
f) entitled to convene a special Congress of the Party;
g) entitled to confirm Board-submitted procedures of Party membership and removal, as well as the scale and collection procedures of membership fees;
h) entitled to make statements, upon the recommendation of the Board, concerning key and urgent public issues;
i) Party Council’s session is authorized to discuss the issues and make decisions if at least 1/2 of Council members are present at the meeting. The decisions shall be made by simple majority of the votes. In the event that votes are equally distributed, the Chairperson’s vote is decisive;
j) Party Council convenes its regular meetings no less frequently than quarterly. Special sessions may be called by the Board or by 1/3 of total Board members, as well as by the request of the Chairperson of the Board.
k) Council meetings are presided over by the Chairperson of the Party or his/her authorized representative.
4.11.1
The Board of the Party:
a) consists of 11 members. 10 of them are elected by secret ballot by the Congress for a maximum of 2 years. For each member the voting is conducted separately. Ex officio, the eleventh member is the Chairperson of the Heritage Party Parliamentary Fraction;
b) shall call its first session after being elected and elect a Chairperson of the Board, a Deputy Chairperson, and the secretaries of the Board. The Board shall appoint the head of the Party central office and the Party spokesman from the Party membership;
c) is the Party’s permanently functioning management body which is responsible for Party activities during the period between the Congresses based on the present Charter and the decisions of the Congresses;
d) shall prepare and invite the Party Congresses and Council meetings, create the agenda, decide on the procedure, date, and venue of the Congress and Council sessions, recognize the participants;
e) shall make decisions about convening regular and special Congresses, define the procedures for the elections of the delegates and allocations to subdivisions;
f) shall submit the Party membership and removal procedures, as well as the scale and procedures for the collection of membership fees for the Council’s approval, define the procedure for managing the monies collected as membership fees and gained through other financial resources;
g) shall make decisions on the activities of persons nominated by the Party to work at the parliamentary fraction of the National Assembly of the RA and in the other elected and executive offices;
h) shall submit to the Council’s approval the list of election candidates, if the Board has a decision to partake in the parliamentary elections;
i) shall make decisions on the Party’s staff positions and salaries;
j) shall make decisions to establish or liquidate Party territorial subdivisions and approve their rules of procedure;
k) shall make decisions to establish or liquidate Party administrative divisions and affirm their rules of procedure and working procedures;
l) shall make decisions on the revocation of a Party member’s membership. If the Party member or the subdivision does not accept the decision, there is a right to appeal to the Party Statutory Committee, which shall make a final decision;
m) shall define the property management procedure by the territorial and structural units;
n) shall discuss and affirm the political report of the Board Chairperson before presenting it to Congress;
o) shall discuss and decide on other issues relating to the Party activities except those which are in the exclusive jurisdiction of the Party Congress, Council, or Board Chairperson.
4.11.2
The number of deputies elected by the parliamentary elections by the proportional list of the Party and/or by the Party nominated electoral district shall not exceed 1/3 of the Board members’ total number.
4.11.3
The Party Board members can not be the Party-nominated persons appointed to work at the state executive management bodies.
4.12
The Board shall make decisions and discuss the issues only if 2/3 of the Board members’ total number is present at the meeting. The decisions shall be made by the simple majority of votes. In case the votes are equally distributed, the Board Chairperson’s vote is decisive.
4.13
The Board Chairperson shall call the Board meeting no less frequently than once every two weeks. Special meetings can be called by the initiative of the Board Chairperson, by the decision of the National Assembly’s parliamentary fraction’s deputies, by the request of 1/3 of Board members, or based on the written request of any territorial subdivision, the Party’s Supervisory Committee, or the Statutory Committee.
Decisions for the Board Chairperson’s elections, as well as for urgent political statements, special Congress calls and mass events, and recreation or liquidation of territorial and structural subdivisions shall be adopted by the majority vote of the Board members’ total number.
4.14
The Chairperson of the Party:
a) shall be elected by the Board, by the majority of its members as a result of a secret vote—for a term of two years;
b) is an ex-officio Chairperson of the Board and guides the activities of the Board and the Council;
c) shall see to the realization of the decisions of the Congress, Council, and Board;
d) shall represent the Party and without credentials act on behalf of the Party;
e) shall submit for the Council’s approval the list of the candidacies for the presidential elections confirmed by the Party Board;
f) shall submit for the Board’s approval the positions and salaries of the Party employees;
g) shall employ or release from employment the employees of the Party;
h) shall decide on the effectiveness of the acquisition or alienation of immovable and movable property by the Party;
i) shall manage the Party property and funds defined by the law and the present Charter;
j) shall submit a report to the Congress on the activities of the Council and the Board;
k) shall make decisions within its jurisdiction on the current issues of the Party activities, sign orders, agreements, contracts, and other urgent documents;
l) shall present to the Congress the political report approved by the Board;
m) shall have the right to convene Council and Board special meetings;
n)shall realize other roles authorized by the Council and Board.
4.15.1
The Vice Chairperson and Board Secretaries shall be elected by the simple majority of the members’ votes. In the frames of the present Charter, their rights and responsibilities shall be regulated by the Party Board.
4.15.2
The functions of the Party Chairperson during his/her absence shall be implemented by the Vice Chairperson of the Party, during the Vice Chairperson’s absence by one of the secretaries, and in the case that this is impossible one of the Board members.
4.16
The Statutory Committee of the Party:
a) consists of five members and shall be elected by the Congress for a maximum term of 2 years, and by the simple majority of votes; its members shall elect the Chairperson of the Committee among themselves;
b) shall investigate the decisions adopted by the Party bodies and examine their compliance with the Party’s Program and Charter, and shall annul such decisions which may contradict the Party’s Program and present Charter;
c) shall provide with explanations and interpretations relating to special articles of the Party’s Program and the present Charter;
d) shall investigate the draft proposals of the Party members on making amendments and addenda to the Party’s Program and in the present Charter;
e) The Party’s other bodies must reconcile their decisions with the final decisions of the Statutory Committee.
f) The Statutory Committee shall act in accordance with its work schedule. The committee meetings shall be open.
g) The Statutory Committee shall elect its Chairperson and the Secretary during the first meeting.
h) The Statutory Committee shall prepare annual reports which shall be discussed and approved by the Congress.
i) The Chairperson of the Statutory Committee by a consultative vote and ex officio may attend the meetings of the Party Board, the Council, and the executive councils of the territorial subdivisions. The members of the Statutory Committee may partake in the meetings of the Party Board and in the meetings of the executive councils of the territorial subdivisions.
j) The Statutory Committee shall act in the frames of its authorization and according to an agenda defined by itself if other working procedures are not defined by the Party Congress.
4.17
The Supervisory Committee of the Party:
a) shall supervise the material and financial resourses of the Party and consists of 5 members who shall be elected for a maximum term of two years;
b) shall conduct, within the limits of its authority, checks in the Party any time;
c) shall have access to all documentation relating to the Party’s activities;
d) shall submit proposals for discussion to the governing bodies of the Party;
e) shall request information of the Party’s activities from the Board Chairperson and members, as well as form the Party members and employees;
f) shall present an opinion relating to the Party’s activities and the utilization of property;
g) shall submit a report to the Congress;
h) shall not be a member of any other governing body of the Party;
i) The members of the Supervisory Committee, by a consultative vote, may attend the sessions of the Party Board, the Council, and the executive councils of the territorial subdivisions.
j) The Supervisory Committee shall elect a Committee Chairperson who shall coordinate the activities of the Committee.
k) The member of the Supervisory Committee simultaneously shall not be a member to the other elective bodies of the Party.
l) A special session of the Supervisory Committee shall be called by the initiative of the Committee’s Chairperson, by the Committee itself, or on the request of any member of the Board.
m) The Supervisory Committee shall act within the frames of its authority and according to an agenda defined by itself if other working procedures are not defined by the Party Congress.
n) The sessions of the Supervisory Committee shall be called in case of necessity but no fewer than two times a year, initiated by the Committee Chairperson.
o) The sessions of the Supervisory Committee shall take place if 2/3 of its members are present and the decisions shall be adopted by the simple majority of votes.
4.18
Territorial subdivisions of the Party:
a) are units of at least 11 Party members formed by the principle of territorial administration, which obtain special status defined by the Party Board;
b) shall be organized and liquidated by the Board’s decision;
c) have a governing body which is the executive council. The executive council shall be elected by the general meeting of the subdivision’s members, by the simple majority of votes, and consist of no fewer than 5 and no more than 15 members. It operates on an annual basis and according to the orders and procedures defined by the Board;
d) The head of the territorial subdivision shall be elected by the general meeting of the subdivision’s members, by the simple majority of their votes and govern the subdivision on an annual basis according to the orders and procedures defined by the Board.
e) The general meeting of the territorial subdivision elects the member(s) of the Party’s Council in accordance with the amounts due to each subdivision and the procedures defined by the Board.
f) The general meeting of the territorial subdivision elects the delegate(s) for the Party Congress in accordance with the amounts due to each subdivision and the procedures defined by the Board.
g) In case of necessity, the Supervisory Committee (the Supervisor) of the territorial subdivision may be appointed by the Party’s General Supervisory Committee for six months.
4.19
The head of the territorial subdivision:
a) shall guide the activities of the executive council;
b) shall ensure the implementation of the decisions made by the Party Board and by the executive board of the given subdivision;
c) shall represent the territorial subdivision and act on behalf of the subdivision without additional formal authorization;
d) shall submit a report about his/her territorial subdivision’s and executive board’s activities;
e) shall make decisions, sign orders, decrees, and other necessary documents within the frames of his/her credentials, except on issues relating to the decisions of the Party’s Congress, the Board, and the executive council of given territorial subdivisions;
f) shall call special meetings of the executive council of the territorial subdivision;
g) shall realize other credentials entrusted to him/her by the Party Congress, Council, and the Board;
h) hall provide accounting of his/her activities to the executive board of the territorial subdivision.
4.20
The executive board of the territorial subdivision:
a) shall discuss and make decisions on all issues about the activities of the territorial subdivision except those which relate to the decisions of the Party Congress, the Council, the Board, its Chairperson and the Chairperson of the executive council of the given territorial subdivision;
b) shall prepare and call the meetings of the territorial subdivision, set the agenda;
c) shall make decisions on the acceptance or rejection of a new member in compliance with articles 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3 of the present Charter.
4.21
The Supervisory Committee (the Supervisor) of the territorial subdivision:
a) shall conduct checks in the territorial subdivision any time within the limits of its authorities;
b) shall have access to all documentation relating to the activities of the territorial subdivision;
c) shall submit proposals for discussion to the guiding bodies of the territorial subdivision;
d) shall request and receive information on the territorial subdivision’s activities from the territorial subdivision’s Chairperson and members, as well as form the subdivision’s staff;
e) shall present an opinion relating to the territorial subdivision’s accounting of daily activities and the utilization of property;
f) shall report to the Party’s Supervisory Committee (the Supervisor).
4.22
The structural divisions (the Commissions) of the Party:
a) shall be formed by the Board of the Party for 2 years;
b) shall be headed, for a one-year term, by an appointee of the Party Board;
c) shall conduct research in the spheres of their credentials and present findings, expert opinions, and analyses to the Party’s governing bodies.
4.23 The parliamentary fraction of the Party shall act in compliance with the present Charter, be accountable to the governing bodies of the Party, shall not implement any activity which may contradict the decisions of the Party and its election program, and shall implement those decisions as well as the electoral provisions of the Party Program.