Tuesday, April 29 2014

The constitutional reforms become senseless without transition to a parliamentary regime, Aghvan Vardanyan, member of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Faction, said in Parliament on Tuesday.  

"ARFD comes out for transition to a parliamentary regime. The current situation demonstrates that the semi-presidential system considerably endangers democracy. The parliamentary regime creates a system of checks and balances inside the power and makes the Government accountable to the Parliament", said Vardanyan. He is sure that only the parliamentary regime is able to hinder the multiple reproduction of the incumbent authorities.    

To recall, on April 10 the Presidential Committee for Constitutional Reform made public a preliminary draft concept of constitutional reforms that feature transition to the parliamentary system of government in Armenia. The document, particularly, calls to expand the parliament's supervisory powers, authorize the legislative body to elect the president for a 7-year term. The authors of the draft concept offer changes to the system of the presidential election.

The presidential contenders must be non-party men, which will make them impartial arbiters for the legislative and executive powers.  The new reforms will give the president a role of an arbiter with no executive powers. The authors of the project of constitutional reform explain such 'innovations' with the intention to de-monopolize the power, as a super-powerful president enjoying the support of the parliamentary majority inherently grasps the power. Meanwhile, the Committee members say a president having no party belonging will not be able to monopolize the power in the country. The concept is to be presented on July 1. 

In this context, Vardanyan called on the public and political forces to take an active part in the debates on the draft concept of constitutional reforms before 1 July 2014. If it becomes known that the reforms do not imply a switch to the parliamentary regime, the ARFD will come out against the concept.