YEREVAN, March 1. /ARKA /. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told thousands of his supporters on Monday who rallied in central Yerevan square to show their backing for him and his government that the 2015 Constitution, which came into force in 2018, revealed many shortcomings during this period.
“Today we see that this Constitution, unfortunately, is creating many crisis opportunities and risks. We must finally admit it,” he said.
The prime minister noted that the time has come to state that “we need to work to adopt a new Constitution or constitutional amendments in October this year by a nationwide referendum.
“And finally, the transition to a semi-presidential form of government should be one of the possible options. And we must carry out this process in close cooperation with the parliament, the government, the president, political forces and public,” he said.
And before that, according to Pashinyan, there are articles in the Constitution, the change of which does not imply a nationwide referendum, and this can be changed by voting in parliament.
“Over the next month, we must work in the same formats – the government, the National Assembly, the president, political forces – to improve those articles that can be improved through consultations and votes in parliament. This is work to be done,” he said.
“Our most important task should be the creation and formation of such constitutional structures that will guarantee security in Armenia and exclude the formation of such crises,” Pashinyan said.
Armenia switched to the parliamentary form of government following a string of fundamental constitutional changes enacted through a 2015 referendum.
According to the new Constitution, the president’s powers are substantially curtailed. He is elected for a term of seven years by the parliament. One and the same person can be elected president only once. The real power passed to the parliamentary majority and the government it formed. -0-