“Law on state of emergency is sacrilege”
Free Democrat Alexander Arzumanyan says the parliament's vote for the draft law "On the Legal Regime of the State of Emergency" on March 1 is sacrilege.
We remind that the adoption of the law will prohibit the use of the army for ensuring security in the country. According to Arzumanyan, the authorities are sending a message to the society just two months before the elections.
"They're telling the people not to express any discontent because they will use the army along with the police, illegitimate bodyguards and bandits of oligarchs," said member of the "Free Democrats" Party Alexander Arzumanyan.
Republican MP Mkrtich Minasyan doesn't think the vote is symbolic, but he is concerned about the increase of the parliament's role during the regulation of the state of emergency regime. To what extent is the decision on using the army against citizens constitutional? Mkrtichyan said he didn't have an answer to that question.
The Republican recalls the international experience, saying that the authorities are using "all their instruments" to protect themselves from those who breach the constitutional order, while Alexander Arzumanyan advises following Armenia's experience.
"Experience shows that the Armenian government falsified elections through force, attacked peaceful demonstrators, killed ten people and then declared a state of emergency to conceal that crime," said Alexander Arzumanyan.
The opposition member also expressed regret that the ruling government rejected the draft law on making the complete transition to the proportional electoral order supported by the society. However, he hopes the interested parties will unite and will make sure that the elections are as free as they can be.
The speakers also touched upon the tendency of small parties to defend larger parties before the elections. They agreed that the "globalization" of political parties would have a positive impact on the formation of the political field.
