People have created the state institute of the parliament led by the presumption that, say 100 people will gather and debate and come up with a wiser solution than just one person would. I regard that with some reservations because those 100 people can infect each other not only with wisdom but stupidity as well. Besides that, according to history, the interests of 100 people combined does not always mean that something smart will come out of it.
Neither is one individual perfect and flawless nor is a group of 100 people. The purpose of the parliament is that the smart or stupid decisions of one person can be suppressed and balanced by the decisions of a group of people whose quality is also not guaranteed. The system does not protect from failures and even disaster, but, as they say, humanity has not come up with something better yet.
Whether governing belongs to the parliament or to the present has no meaning. The checks and balances put in place between one person and the parliament works both in Germany, which is governed by the parliament, in Britain, which is a constitutional monarchy, and in the United States, which is presidential. But, for example, problems have risen in France. If the president’s ratings are at 70 percent, then the country is stable, but if the ratings drop to 20 percent, then issues start to arise. The charismatic General de Gaulle created problems in his constitution for people who aren’t as charismatic, such as Hollande and Macron.
There is no balance between an individual and parliament in Armenia. Starting from when Levon Ter-Petrossian was elected President on October 16th, 1991, everything in our country has been decided by one person. Their last names are known by everyone, and the problem here isn’t completely in who they are. If the person who is responsible for making decisions is given complete authority and there aren’t any mechanisms in place to check them, then regardless of how wonderful of a person they are, the stability of the country is always in danger.
The parliament, in this case, plays a decorative role, and I, unfortunately, think that it will remain that way for a while. This is proven by the fact that the parliament during the movement of 1997 and the revolution of 2018 always runs after the person who is strongest and swears loyalty to them. The deputies understand that the sole individual who makes decisions in Armenia has changed and, naturally, they want to be protected. They do not have any desire to suppress or balance anything.
Aram Abrahamyan
