“If the limits of government discretion are not defined, people standing at the top of the power would do what they want, how they want, and often what they want, and do what they want. People are sober in upper echelons, but the hyenas’ constellation dominates in the mid-level circles,” announced the President of the Constitutional Court (CC), Gagik Harutyunyan, today, in the city of Armavir, Armavir region. Note that the regional round of public discussions on constitutional reforms of Armenia is underway. Discussions were held in the cities of Ashtarak and Artashat. Mr. Harutyunyan emphasized the need for constitutional reforms, and referring to the criticisms, noted, “Often, people are making judgments about constitutional reforms, and sometimes they even reach populism. Answering people like this is meaningless. If you do not assess the situation sober and do not make conclusions, then it will be too late then.” Gagik Harutyunyan mentions that based on the situation, a person often appears in the margin of the Constitution, the Constitutional reforms exercised years ago went by the path of formation of a government-centered Constitution, whereas the goal should be making the Constitution anthropocentric. Mr. Harutyunyan detailed, “I want my children to live in a country where officials do not decide their destiny; where there is a Constitution that limits the power and defines the limits of freedom. Otherwise, we need to rely on goodwill of the ruling authorities.” Repeating the idea that “you cannot be a state with only an honest word,” the CC President directed the sword of criticism toward judicial, executive and legislative power. Mr. Harutyunyan described the work of the courts and their verdicts “a whole chain to simply deject the person and abuse the human rights.” Later, he informed that sixty percent of citizens’ application refer to the gaps in the law. Gagik Harutyunyan admitted, “There are several dozen of norms in the Constitution that are not in use in life.” Later, Mr. Harutyunyan brought an example of these norms, which reads that the MPs have no right to be engaged in business activities. However, at the same time, he noted, “During each meeting with the businesses called on by the President of Armenia, half of the seats was occupied by the MPs.” Gagik Harutyunyan is also concerned about the fact that the lion’s share of revenues of the people occupying high positions in judicial, legislative and executive bodies incurs not from wages but the businesses. As an example, the CC President mentioned, “It amounts to fifty percent in the judicial system, thirty percent in the executive, and from three to five percent in legislature.” In summary, Gagik Harutyunyan said, “The state governance should not be based upon the person’s good or bad dream and his relationships with mother-in-law. A powerful state system should be established. This is the whole ideology of reforms.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
