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ONE STEP WON’T LEAD TO DEMOCRACY

Politics

If you think that your demands have not been satisfied yet, if you said you will participate in the process only in case they are satisfied, everything is obvious”

After the last PACE session representatives of both Justice bloc and National Unity faction did not rule out their participation in the discussions of the constitutional amendments. Nevertheless proceeding from the above mentioned statement by member of the RA delegation to the PACE Shavarsh Kocharyan it becomes obvious that the problem has not been settled yet. Sure, the deputy admits considerable progress. However, how hard the Venice Commission tried to “make Armenia democratic”, the RA authorities adopted their proposals within the frames of their own interests. It means that even the reviewed Constitution contains items securing the existence of autocratic system with the dominant role given to the President.

These shortcomings are preserved in the fields, where the Venice Commission insisted amendments and reform be applied. Shavarsh Kocharyan points out to some of them. “Division of power: how is the government formed? The President after consulting with the MPs appoints the Prime Minister. In case the program submitted by the government is not ratified twice, the parliament is dissolved. It means that the President can show the direction to the NA and even threaten it with dissolution to appoint the candidate favorable for him. It is inadmissible”, he says.

The juridical power: the candidatures for court chairs are submitted to the President and he latter appoint them by a decree. A question arouses: should the President approve every nominee”. Judging from the draft he can reject. Consequently dependence emerges.

Local self-government: the problem of dismissing the community head elected by the people remains. It is fixed that the decision of the Constitutional Court is essential for this, however the reasons for dismissal should be fixed as well. The issue of the Mayor election depends on the law to be adopted.

Will the Venice Commission approve the draft constitutional amendments with such faults? Shavarsh Kocharyan refrained from answering this question noting only that the principal demands of the Armenian opposition coincided with the proposals of the Commission.

Lena Badeyan