The Armenian authorities’ move to appoint a date for a constitutional referendum amounts not only to an act of adventurism but also a state crime and usurpation of power, according to Artsvik Minasyan, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) Burueau.
In an interview with Tert.am. the politician said they observe gross breaches of the constitutional order “admitted also by many political forces and lawyers”.
“It’s not that we are totally agianst the idea of a referendum; we were the [political] force that not only priotitized [the role of] direct democracy and a referendum but also incorporated that into our demands … What we are against, however, is the totally manupulative statements underlying the referendum, which also amounts to a breach of the constitutional procedure,” he explained.
Minasyan also blamed the parliamentary majority for stepping beyond the framework of its authorithy, “ignoring constitutional regulations”.
He also expressed concerns over the political minority’s behavior, considering its actionns “advantageous to the authorities”. But the politician expressed hope that the opposition will take proper action to appeal against the referendum outcome (should such an issue ever emerge).
“But if the two opposition factions in parliament (Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia) demonstrate the kind of conduct similar to the one that they did during the appointment of a referendum date, then it will turn out that we do not have a representative body in today’s parliament,” he added.
tert.am Ani Gevorgyan