The constitutional reforms, envisaging a transition to a parliamentary republic, do not virtually promise that form of government in our country, according to the president of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia.

Speaking to Tert.am, Avetik Ishkanyan said he sess that the changes, adopted in the wake of the 2015 nationwide referendum, give only sweeping powers to the prime minister, creating a government model “ruled by a single party.” “Instead of an autocratic president, we are thus creating an institute of an autocratic prime minister,” he noted.

Ishkhanyan said he doesn’t think that the amended Constitution helps in any way resolve the problem of the political system’s super-centralization.

Addressing the justifications (outlined in the concept paper (proposed by the working group tasked with elaborating the amendments back in 2014) and the internationally acclaimed political science organizations’ research into the topic, the human rights activist said he is under the impression that the authors themselves felt their legal initiative was not a constitution in essence.

 

“It guarantees no separation [of powers]. As we delve further into the conceptual clauses (many have simply forgotten the fact), we see that it repeats approximately the same provisions which many civil society representatives – including myself – had stated before, criticizing the authorities for the remarks written by the group of specialists,” he added.