The RA National Assembly did not approve the first reading of the draft constitutional amendments proposing to terminate the office of CC President Hrayr Tovmasyan and CC members. According to Armenpress, the draft was rejected with 36 votes against and 87 abstentions.
Prior to the vote, NA Vice Speaker Alen Simonyan announced that the “My Step” faction would vote for the draft. “The resolution of the crisis around the Constitutional Court must be resolved through a referendum. “My step” faction will abstain this time, “Simonyan said.
Lilit Makunts, the leader of the “My Step” faction and Vahagn Hovakimyan, a member of the faction, have stated that their faction wants to put the issue of constitutional amendments to a national referendum. “The power in Armenia belongs to the people. The people exercise their power through free elections, referenda, as well as state and local self-government bodies and officials. Therefore, the citizen of the Republic of Armenia should have the right to effectively exercise his / her rights. It also refers to making his voice heard through a referendum. Turning the issue of termination of authority to a primary to a referendum could substantially reduce unnecessary tension and keep the country from undesirable shocks, ”Makunts said.
The Draft of Constitutional Amendments of the Republic of Armenia proposes to amend Article 213 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia dated July 5, 1995 with the new wording: “Before the entry into force of Chapter 7 of the Constitution, the term of office of the President and members of the Constitutional Court shall cease. The nominations for the vacancies of the judges of the Constitutional Court shall be made by the Government, the President of the Republic and the General Meeting of Judges, respectively. The powers of the President and members of the Constitutional Court appointed before the entry into force of Chapter 7 of the Constitution shall be considered terminated, and the terms and other details of filling in the vacant positions shall be determined in accordance with the procedure provided by the Law on the Constitutional Court. Amendments to the constitutional law stipulating this procedure shall be adopted and shall come into force within two months of the entry into force of this Article, ”reads the draft.