ArmInfo. Lawyer Aram Vardevanyan explained what the decision of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian not to sign the draft decree on the dismissal of the Chief of the General Staff of Armenia Onik Gasparyan will lead to.
So, commenting on the statement of the president, he, in particular, wrote: "The situation is as follows: first, on February 27, the RA President with objections returned the proposal of the Prime Minister to release Colonel General Onik Gasparyan on the grounds that it essentially contradicted the Constitution. Secondly, today, in his statement, he states that he will not sign the decree that does not comply with the Constitution. But regarding one law, which was not indicated at all in the objections, he will appeal to the Constitutional Court.
Thirdly, that is, according to the president, a norm that has an obvious constitutional problem may come into force by law no later than March 4.
Fourthly, I regret that people like Vahagn Hovakimyan (head of the standing committee on state affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia - a member of the "My Step" faction - ed. note) and persons holding the post of Prime Minister of Armenia turned out to be more important for the President than the Constitution and the army. I regret that the president could have made such concessions, and even under such conditions:"
As ArmInfo previously reported, today the President of Armenia announced that he would not sign the draft decree on the dismissal of Onik Gasparyan, and guided by paragraph 4 of Part 1 of Article 169 of the Constitution, the President of the Republic will make a separate statement to the Constitutional Court with a request to resolve the issue of compliance with the Constitution of the RA Law on Military service and status of a soldier> dated November 15, 2017.
It should be noted that lawyer Aram Vardevanyan is a member of the advocacy group of the second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, who is accused of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order in the framework of the criminal case on the events of March 1, 2008.