Monday,
Marukian Opposed To Changing Election Laws Before Snap Vote
Edmon Marukian, the leader of the opposition Bright Armenia party (archive photo)
Edmon Marukian, the leader of Bright Armenia, the second largest opposition
faction in the Armenian parliament, has spoken against changing electoral laws
before snap parliamentary elections announced for June 20.
The ruling My Step faction has introduced a draft legislation to amend a set of
election laws called the Electoral Code under which the current mixed voting
system in which candidates are elected to parliament both on party lists and in
individual races will be replaced with an all-proportional ballot system.
A number of leading public sector organizations and political parties have
called for such a change to be introduced before the early elections.
Marukian, whose Bright Armenia along with the largest opposition faction,
Prosperous Armenia, agreed last week not to field their candidates if Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian resigns to trigger the dissolution of parliament and
the appointment of fresh elections.
Pashinian’s My Step enjoys a comfortable majority in the Armenian parliament,
but it has sought a sort of arrangement with the parliamentary opposition to
ensure that no one is nominated to replace Pashinian if he resigns.
At least one political group in Armenia is seeking the formation of an interim
government after Pashinian’s resignation and does not want early elections to be
held immediately.
The Homeland Salvation Movement, a loose alliance of over a dozen political
parties and groups, has been holding street protests since November demanding
the resignation of Pashinian, whom it holds responsible for the Armenian defeat
in the 2020 war against Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The movement wants its leader Vazgen Manukian to be voted by parliament into the
prime minister’s office once Pashinian resigns before early parliamentary
elections can be held within at least a year.
Even after the announcement of the early election date, the Homeland Salvation
Movement has refused to discontinue its street protests or change its agenda.
But some of its members – notably the Prosperous Armenia party of tycoon Gagik
Tsarukian and the Hayrenik (Homeland) party of former chief of the National
Security Service Artur Vanetsian – have indicated that they will take part in
the early elections announced by Pashinian.
Speaking live on Facebook on Monday Bright Armenia’s Marukian argued that the
very announcement of the election date has considerably reduced political
tensions in the country. But he said that the rules of the game should not be
changed before these elections are held.
“To adopt new rules of the game means imperiling the announced election date,
hence, deepening the crisis in the country,” he said.
Marukian described the new draft election code as “unelaborated”, claiming that
holding elections under changed election laws will cast a shadow over the
legitimacy of the vote.
The opposition politician added, however, that Bright Armenia intends to
participate in the early elections in any case.
Earlier, My Step’s lawmaker Nazeli Baghdasarian, who advocates a new election
code, acknowledged the importance of a consensus among all parliamentary parties
regarding its adoption.
Pro-Government Lawmaker Sees No ‘Early Campaign’ In Pashinian Rallies
• Astghik Bedevian
• Marine Khachatrian
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian during a visit to the Aragatsotn
province, March 20, 2021
A pro-government lawmaker does not consider the weekend rallies of Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian as an “early start” of an election campaign despite
criticism from political opponents.
Pashinian held a number of meetings and public rallies in different rural
communities as part of his Saturday trip to Armenia’s western Aragatsotn
province.
Addressing scores of his supporters just two days after announcing that early
parliamentary elections in Armenia will be held on June 20, Pashinian raised a
number of issues that observers say may become part of the future campaign,
including his vision of the country’s relations with the neighbors in the region
after last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In his public remarks Pashinian also slammed his political opponents, including
former presidents Levon Ter-Petrosian and Serzh Sarkisian.
Critics also claim that as the incumbent prime minister, Pashinian has been
using administrative resources, including services of local officials, to
organize such meetings with the public.
Nazeli Baghdasarian, a member of the pro-Pashinian My Step alliance in
parliament, countered that the prime minister has held similar rallies also
before.
My Step parliamentary faction member Nazeli Baghdasarian (R) and ARF
Dashnaktsutyun party member Artur Khachatrian debate in the RFE/RL Armenian
Service studio, March 21, 2020
“During his entire time in office as prime minister, Pashinian has held similar
meetings in different communities. He also had a similar meeting in another
region the previous weekend, which was not covered by media,” she said.
Baghdasarian argued that if holding rallies is regarded as an early campaign,
then the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement, which has been holding rallies
in Yerevan and in provinces to demand Pashinian’s resignation, has been
campaigning for months.
Artur Khachatrian, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun), which is part of the Homeland Salvation Movement that
comprises over a dozen political parties and groups, meanwhile, described
Pashinian’s rallies as “electioneering” accompanied with the heavy use of
administrative resources.
“I do not pay taxes for Pashinian to gather hundreds of police officers around
him or deploy thousands of police officers to close a town. He is using the
administrative lever and is doing something that he is not supposed to be
doing,” Khachatrian charged.
Naira Zohrabian, a member of the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction in
parliament, also sees Pashinian’s recent meetings with the public as an early
start of an election campaign. “I definitely agree with the assessments that
Pashinian uses administrative resources and is campaigning, but, frankly, I am
surprised that human rights activists, politicians, political analysts, media
continue to be surprised by this. He [Pashinian] will go to any length to retain
his power,” she said.
My Step’s Baghdasarian said, however, that My Step has not unveiled its official
election platform and that otherwise the current election laws do not regard
meetings of politicians with members of the public as an election campaign.
Pashinian Says Davtian Appointed New Army Chief ‘By Virtue Of Law’
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian introduces Artak Davtian (second from
the right) as new chief of the Armed Forces’ General Staff at a meeting held at
the Defense Ministry,
Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian is considered to have taken office as Chief of
the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.
Pashinian explained that the appointment has come into effect “by virtue of law.”
The premier visited the Defense Ministry today to introduce Davtian to the
staff. He expressed his confidence that Davtian will continue his mission “at
the same high level” that he did before his resignation as chief of the General
Staff in June 2020 for “reasons not related to service.”
Pashinian said that the army remained politically neutral during the early
parliamentary elections in December 2018, expressing confidence that the same
situation will be observed during upcoming early elections that he announced for
June 20.
“Let’s agree that the principle of the army remaining depoliticized should be
sacredly observed. It is necessary not for me, not for any specific individual
or group, it is an important principle that is necessary for the Armed Forces
themselves in the first place,” the prime minister underscored.
In a statement issued today Davtian reaffirmed that as an entity that reports to
the government and is under civil control the armed forces will continue to
maintain political neutrality.
The Armenian premier named Davtian as new army chief earlier this month against
the backdrop of a standoff with the leadership of the Armed Forces’ General
Staff and its head Onik Gasparian who was dismissed shortly after he and four
dozen other high-ranking officers demanded that Pashinian and his cabinet step
down in a joint statement issued on February 25.
Gasparian and other generals and senior officers accused the government of
putting Armenia “on the brink of collapse” after last year’s war in
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pashinian rejected the demand as a coup attempt and petitioned that President
Armen Sarkissian sign a decree relieving Gasparian of his duties.
Sarkissian refused to sign such a decree on February 27, saying that it appeared
to be unconstitutional and would deepen the “unprecedented” political crisis in
the country. Pashinian criticized the refusal as “unfounded” and resent his
motion to Sarkissian in another attempt to get him to fire Gasparian.
Sarkissian again refused to sign the decree drafted by the prime minister’s
office. But he made it clear that he would not ask the Constitutional Court to
invalidate it within the timeframe envisaged by the legislation, effectively
paving the way for Gasparian’s removal.
Under Armenian law, the president can keep blocking the prime minister’s
decisions only by appealing to the court.
The president eventually turned to the Constitutional Court, but he contested a
provision of the law “On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen” on the
basis of which the prime minister submitted the draft decree on Gasparian’s
dismissal rather than the draft decree itself.
The entire process took place amid continuing street protests organized by a
coalition of more than a dozen opposition parties called the Homeland Salvation
Movement demanding Pashinian’s resignation over the defeat suffered by Armenian
forces in the 2020 war against Azerbaijan.
Thousands of opposition supporters blockading a central boulevard in Yerevan
voiced their solidarity with the military top brass and support for the
generals’ call for Pashinian’s resignation.
Later, Pashinian named Davtian as a new candidate for the post of the chief of
the Armed Forces’ General Staff. Davtian already occupied the post in 2018-2020.
Sarkissian initially also challenged Pashinian’s new pick for the army chief,
but eventually indicated that, while not signing it, he would not take the prime
minister’s draft decree to the Constitutional Court either.
Meanwhile, on March 17, an administrative court accepted Colonel-General
Gasparian’s lawsuit against his dismissal, effectively granting his request to
be considered chief of the General Staff before the case is heard in court.
The prime minister’s office, however, insisted that even though the president
did not sign the decree on Gasparian’s dismissal he was still considered to be
relieved of his duties “by virtue of law.” It said that the constitution does
not provide for a reverse decision in such cases.
Gasparian’s lawyer Artur Hovannisian as well as a considerable number of legal
experts and opposition parties and groups consider, however, that after the
administrative court’s decision Gasparian continues to service in his official
capacity as chief of the General Staff.
Hovannisian said on March 22 that his client would file a complaint against
Davtian’s appointment.
“Relevant statements on this crime will be sent to authorized bodies,” the
lawyer said.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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