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ARMENIA LACKS CLASSICAL PARLIAMENTARISM

Politics

“Armenia’s Parliament doesn’t reflect public spirits today while in 1990 the Supreme Council covered the whole public sector,” says the ex-deputy speaker of the National Assembly Ara Sahakian. “When the government speaks of a dialogue with the opposition which is not represented in the parliament, and actually admits its existence, it automatically proves that the parliamentary election was imperfect. The debate should be shifted to the parliament. The latter is for preventing coup d'etats. After the October Revolution Europe was saved from a coup due to a stable parliament.

In our country, one of the causes of instability and the threat of revolutions is that the political forces which reflect the moods of the majority are outside the parliament. Therefore, the debate takes place in the street through street methods,” Ara Sahakian said turning to Republican Armen Ashotian.

Ashotian noted in reply that it is not their fault that the HHSh isn’t represented in the National Assembly. “Provided Ter-Petrossian’s supporters allied the opposition would have at least 35-40 MPs in the Parliament” he added.

Ara Sahakian says we cannot speak about parliamentarism today as the political system is completely destroyed in our country. Armenia’s ex-president Robert Kocharian has consistently dissipated and weakened the political sphere since 1998. As a result the state started to rely on repression. In the absence of a political system the state relies on army, police, special services and even on bandits.

“First of all, we must commit the requirement set by the Constitution. History shows that the best prime ministers have been members of political teams,” Ara Sahakian said. Among weak prime ministers he named Khosrov Harutiunian, Gagik Harutiunian and Armen Sarkissian.

Armen Ashotian noted that parliamentarism falls back in all Western countries, parliamentarians don’t enjoy public confidence. Therefore, the role of the executive body increases.

“We face a crisis of parliamentarism universally,” said HZhK secretary Grigor Harutiunian. The authorities connect the crises in the country with international developments. For example, prices of goods went up by 3-5% at the international market while in Armenia prices have shot up by 100%.

To get acquainted with the Armenian parliamentarism more closely you had better see the faces of toady Armenian MPs who try to solve their personal matters every Wednesday,” said the HZhK secretary during today’s discussion at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.