Kocharyan questions expediency of constitutional reforms

In an interview with 2nd.am, a non-official website for Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharyan expressed his uncertainty about the outcomes of the Armenian authorities’ constitutional reforms plan.

The former president said he is very suspicious of the justifications and motives behind the proposal, especially the authorities intention to adopt the parliamentary government model.

“The first question that strikes me is whether such a reform has matured at all. To what extent does it prevent the authorities from responding to the emerging challenges? I can say for sure that there is no vital problem facing the country, whose solution could be hampered by the Constitution. There is no external pressure stemming from conflicts with universal democratic rules. Neither is the society awaiting constitutional reforms. The initiative comes exclusively from the authorities, with the explanations voiced being unconvincing and extremely hazy. And that has given rise to serious doubts as to the real purpose of the proposed reforms. The current state of affairs is in stark contrast to the situation that preceded the 2005 reforms. The Constitution had an obvious dominance of power then in favor of the president’s institute and at the expense of the parliament and government. It was responsible for forming the entire judiciary power.

“All the Government decisions were approved by the president. What’s even more, the prime minister conducted the cabinet meetings under the president’s instruction. The fundamental democracy concepts on the separation of powers and the balance between them were, as a matter of fact, distorted. The constitutional reform was a mature issue on the country’s political agenda then and a commitment under the EU membership [bid].

“What is proposed now, is a radical change of the government model, so we need unequivocal guarantees that the reform is not directed to the ruling elite and will not become a tool facilitating its reproduction,” Mr Kocharyan explained.