Wednesday, February 12 2020 12:16

ArmInfo.Constitutional referendum - Continuation of the struggle between the current and former authorities. A similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo  Vice-Chairman of the Armenian National Congress Aram Manukyan.

"In the statement circulated by our party in support of the  constitutional referendum, we once again reaffirmed our position,  which we have repeatedly expressed over the past year and a half. The  problem around the Constitutional Court needs to be resolved as soon  as possible because delay is harmful to the post-revolutionary  process of the country's development. Accordingly, the referendum is  not the problem of Hrayr Tovmasyan, and especially the other members  of the Constitutional Court.

"This is a continuation of the latent, often open struggle between  the current and former authorities," he is convinced.

On February 10, Armenian President Armen Sargsyan signed a decree on  holding a referendum on constitutional amendments on April 5.  Earlier, at an extraordinary sitting of the National Assembly of  Armenia on February 6, the deputies voted "for" the issue of the need  to adopt amendments to the Constitution, providing for the  termination of the powers of the chairman and members of the  Constitutional Court for a referendum. We are talking about article  213 of the Constitution governing the tenure of members and the  chairman of the Constitutional Court. The adoption of the amendments  will allow the resignation of the current composition of the  Constitutional Court.

According to the policy, the ANC has always considered and continues  to consider this very real legal, constitutional problem in the  political light, as standing in the way of the further development of  Armenia.  In this light, Manukyan considers the existing  Constitutional Court as the last refuge of representatives of the  previous government, which explains the cohesion of the "former"  around this problem. The former is trying to keep this bastion, and  society and power to finally crush.

In this light, the politician assesses the actions of the authorities  to eliminate the last vestige of the previous government - the  Constitutional Court as very belated. According to him, the same  problem could be solved a year ago very calmly and, most importantly,  without much upheaval. And the "former" would not even have time to  rally and fight the government, as they do today. And, accordingly,  the people, society would be busy solving completely different, more  pressing problems.

The draft amendments to the Constitution, developed by the My Step  parliamentary faction, provide for the termination of the powers of  the chairman and members of the Constitutional Court, appointed  before the 2015 constitutional reform. Seven of the nine judges of  the Constitutional Court got there in accordance with the provisions  of the Basic Law as amended in 1995 and 2005.

According to the logic of the ruling party, the continued exercise of  the powers of judges of the Constitutional Court, appointed before  the constitutional reform of 2015, creates a discrepancy between the  terms of office of judges appointed by the Constitution of 1995 and  appointed by the Constitution of 2005, while the powers of judges  appointed after 2015 are generally limited to 12 years. At the same  time, the head of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan was  elected to this post after the adoption of the new Constitution, but  before its entry into force.