Parliamentary model will give Armenia more flexibility in foreign policy, MP says
The draft amendments to the Constitution of Armenia are a serious document so any speculation here is inappropriate, Lernik Aleksanyan, a member of ruling Republican Party of Armenia’s (RPA) parliamentary faction, told a press conference today.
“I do not share the opinion that we should leave politics aside and view this document as a law. This document contains all the components,” he said.
In his words, many spheres today need drastic changes that are impossible without the constitutional reform.
Speaking about the draft amendments-proposed transition to a parliamentary system of government, L. Aleksanyan said the parliamentary model has both advantages and disadvantages, but it is needed to deal with the pressing problems in Armenia.
“This model will allow more flexibility in the foreign policy and economy,” he stressed.
According to another participant of the press conference - Sos Gimishyan, the leader of Christian Democratic Revival party which supports ‘No’ front opposed to the constitutional reform, the new Constitution is unlikely to solve any problems in the country.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on August 21 sent the draft constitutional amendments to the country’s parliament. The draft was developed by the Special Commission on Constitutional Reforms adjunct to Armenian President. Following the debates, the Armenian parliament adopted on October 5 the draft decision of the National Assembly on its consent for the document to be put to a referendum. The decision was passed by a majority of the votes: 104 MPs voted in favor, 10 against, with 3 abstentions. The draft was supported by the factions of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), and opposition ARF-Dashnaktsutyun (ARFD) and Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP). Opposition factions ‘Heritage’ and ‘Armenian National Congress (ANC), and 2 MPs of opposition faction ‘Orinats Yerkir’ voted against. The Armenian president set December 6, 2015 as the date for the constitutional referendum. The campaign for the constitutional reform in Armenia began on October 10 and will end at midnight of December 4.