The head of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly in Vanadzor, Artur Sakunts, participated in the ‘New Constitution or Changes in the Constitution?’ discussion.
Artur Sakunts noted that citizens did not only reject Serzh Sargsyan during the Velvet Revolution of 2018, but also the constitution that allowed him to come to power. According to Sakunts, of the constitution were to have been enforced, the revolution would not have taken place. It is not a working constitution, hence why a new constitution is necessary.
“As a result of the Velvet Revolution in 2018, Armenians were able to carry out a revolution all throughout the country. There was not one town where there weren’t protests. They didn’t just reject Serzh Sargsyan’s government, but the constitution that suited Serzh Sargsyan’s administration. This wasn’t just a rejection of a person or a political force; it was a rejection of a constitution enforced by that individual and political force. When Nikol Pashinyan said that this constitution would allow a revolution to take place, it was because Serzh Sargsyan did not resolve the constitution and was unable to live up to the expectations of Armenian citizens.”
Nune Arevshatyan
