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NO NEED FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM, SAYS EX-PREZ KOCHARYAN
Politics | 22.04.14 | 12:47
Photo: www.2nd.am
Armenia's former president Robert Kocharyan believes there is no need
for a constitutional reform today. He expressed this opinion in an
interview with his unofficial website, 2rd.am, published on Tuesday.
"I can say with certitude that there is not a single vital problem
facing the country to solve which the current Constitution would
be an impediment. Nor is there an external pressure conditioned by
the non-correspondence of the Constitution to universally accepted
democratic norms," said Kocharyan. "The initiative of reform
comes exclusively from the government, the presented explanations
are unconvincing and very vague, which has generated suspicions in
society regarding the genuine goals of the proposed changes." At the
same time, Kocharyan reminded that the situation existing prior to
the 2005 constitutional reform was opposite.
Earlier this month, a committee of experts drafting constitutional
amendments unveiled a concept of the reform that also included a model
under which a transition would be made to the parliamentary form of
government, with the powerful prime minister appointed as a result of
parliamentary elections. Many have accused President Serzh Sargsyan
of trying to tailor the constitutional amendments to his political
needs, seeking to ensure his continued stay in power after the end of
his second and last presidential term in 2018. But in the presence of
the Constitutional Court chairman and other members of the committee
the head of state pledged never to run for the top state post again.
Kocharyan, however, still believes that the radical change of the
model of state administration requires clear guarantees that "the
reform is not aimed at servicing the interests of the ruling elite
and will not become an instrument of its reproduction." "Any tailoring
of the Constitution to the current goals of politicians is a sign of
the country's political degradation," he emphasized.
The former leader also reacted to the thought voiced by his successor
Sargsyan that no head of state should occupy the highest post more than
twice in his lifetime. He stressed that even if this amendment is made
in the Constitution, it could not be applied retroactively. "And that
means it cannot have an impact on the current political landscape,"
he said.
Asked to comment on the high assessment that the president gave to the
work done by former Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Kocharyan said:
"I don't know how he assessed the activities of the former premier,
but judging by all, the results of the work have nothing to do with it.
The volume of the economy is still lower than the pre-crisis level
in comparable figures, and also in dollar terms, with the threefold
increase in the debt and existing level of poverty. Normally, one
cannot be proud of such results."
At the same time, the ex-president said that only time can show how
good a prime minister Hovik Abrahamyan will be. Kocharyan said that
Abrahamyan was a good minister of territorial administration and
deputy prime minister during his presidency. "He's got an unenviable
legacy. I sincerely wish him success," he said.
http://armenianow.com/news/politics/53787/armenia_robert_kocharyan_constitutional_reform_int erview
From: A. Papazian
Politics | 22.04.14 | 12:47
Photo: www.2nd.am
Armenia's former president Robert Kocharyan believes there is no need
for a constitutional reform today. He expressed this opinion in an
interview with his unofficial website, 2rd.am, published on Tuesday.
"I can say with certitude that there is not a single vital problem
facing the country to solve which the current Constitution would
be an impediment. Nor is there an external pressure conditioned by
the non-correspondence of the Constitution to universally accepted
democratic norms," said Kocharyan. "The initiative of reform
comes exclusively from the government, the presented explanations
are unconvincing and very vague, which has generated suspicions in
society regarding the genuine goals of the proposed changes." At the
same time, Kocharyan reminded that the situation existing prior to
the 2005 constitutional reform was opposite.
Earlier this month, a committee of experts drafting constitutional
amendments unveiled a concept of the reform that also included a model
under which a transition would be made to the parliamentary form of
government, with the powerful prime minister appointed as a result of
parliamentary elections. Many have accused President Serzh Sargsyan
of trying to tailor the constitutional amendments to his political
needs, seeking to ensure his continued stay in power after the end of
his second and last presidential term in 2018. But in the presence of
the Constitutional Court chairman and other members of the committee
the head of state pledged never to run for the top state post again.
Kocharyan, however, still believes that the radical change of the
model of state administration requires clear guarantees that "the
reform is not aimed at servicing the interests of the ruling elite
and will not become an instrument of its reproduction." "Any tailoring
of the Constitution to the current goals of politicians is a sign of
the country's political degradation," he emphasized.
The former leader also reacted to the thought voiced by his successor
Sargsyan that no head of state should occupy the highest post more than
twice in his lifetime. He stressed that even if this amendment is made
in the Constitution, it could not be applied retroactively. "And that
means it cannot have an impact on the current political landscape,"
he said.
Asked to comment on the high assessment that the president gave to the
work done by former Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Kocharyan said:
"I don't know how he assessed the activities of the former premier,
but judging by all, the results of the work have nothing to do with it.
The volume of the economy is still lower than the pre-crisis level
in comparable figures, and also in dollar terms, with the threefold
increase in the debt and existing level of poverty. Normally, one
cannot be proud of such results."
At the same time, the ex-president said that only time can show how
good a prime minister Hovik Abrahamyan will be. Kocharyan said that
Abrahamyan was a good minister of territorial administration and
deputy prime minister during his presidency. "He's got an unenviable
legacy. I sincerely wish him success," he said.
http://armenianow.com/news/politics/53787/armenia_robert_kocharyan_constitutional_reform_int erview
From: A. Papazian