The odyssey of Artsakh Constitutional Amendments and the possible revelations of Artsakh Fund expenses
Yesterday, Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan signed a decree, according to which the process of amending the Constitution was initiated regarding the election of the President by the National Assembly and its specifics in case the position of the President of the Republic becomes vacant during martial law.
On February 13, the draft amendment to the Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh was submitted to the National Assembly for consideration.
We want to remind you that the Constitutional Reforms Commission was formed in Artsakh last year, on January 31, 2022, by President Araik Harutyunyan. Press leaks preceded that the Prime Minister of Armenia, through Samvel Babayan, tried to carry out a plan to impeach the President of Artsakh, Araik Harutyunyan. First, to defeat the adoption of the budget, then to express no confidence in the President of Artsakh; as a result, Artsakh would lose its subjectivity and no longer be able to elect a president. One of the critical issues of the reforms was the separation of the simultaneous elections of the National Assembly and the President.
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President Araik Harutyunyan came to that conclusion due to consultations with various political forces. Although Araik Harutyunyan’s proposal was not acceptable to the opposition political forces, they agreed with it, considering the possible dangers and the need to neutralize them. On November 22, Araik Harutyunyan appealed to the Speaker of the National Assembly to return the constitutional amendment draft to withdraw it from circulation. According to the official report, the reason for the decision was the various political assessments made during the implementation of the constitutional amendment initiative of the Republic of Artsakh, as well as the adverse reactions among the public regarding the project, which could become another cause of internal division and tension.
Already in the parliament, during the session, Araik Harutyunyan said. “When we say that there is a misunderstanding on the part of the public, I should mention that there was a change in one article on my part, which I still consider to be the correct version; it’s not like I backed down. But for me, the country’s internal stability is more important than constitutional change. A constitutional amendment will not add anything to the security of our country, and without changing the Constitution our country will not be destroyed.”
What was the reason for Araik Harutyunyan’s new, urgent initiative regarding the President’s election by the National Assembly in case the position of the President of the Republic becomes vacant during martial law? Lusine Avanesyan, the spokesperson of the Artsakh president, explained this in a conversation with “Aravot.”
“You mentioned that this amendment was submitted as an urgent matter. The President took into account the military-political situation in Artsakh, geopolitical and regional developments, and the threats that Artsakh was facing and decided to take that step so that during martial law, in case the position of the President becomes vacant for one reason or another, we do not have a constitutional crisis in Artsakh.” To the observation, there are various rumors about the aggravation of internal political problems in Artsakh, so to speak; what is the purpose of changing this provision in such a non-consensus situation? Our interlocutor replied that the project was sent to the parliament, where various political forces are represented. She hopes that questions will be answered in those discussions.
Metakse Hakobyan, a deputy of the “Justice” faction of the Artsakh parliament, in a conversation with “Aravot,” answered the question: what is the consequence, and where will the separation of that one provision from the process of constitutional reforms and its urgent submission to the parliament lead, especially in Artsakh, it seems to be a phase of aggravation of internal political contradictions, said that she will not give precise assessments now, because everything is in a very fluid state, including the interior political life of Artsakh. “But I can assess this step of the President, and it is harmful because there is absolutely no expediency to take such actions if, for quite a long time, with relatively large groups, serious work has been done on the project of constitutional amendments to have such a Constitution which always should have solutions for a country in our situation.
The haste to change just that one article, within the framework of rational logic, speaks of the fact that some intrigues are being woven, and the President is trying to take some steps in this way, which the political field of Artsakh will not accept. I’m not talking about one or two forces. Many forces will not accept this, understanding its dangers, because it will again cause some shocks and disrupt the created fragile unity. Therefore, it is not acceptable, it is not understandable, and it is not right in this situation, especially since we are in the process of general constitutional changes at full speed, which would later be adopted by referendum.”
There was a leak in the press that the President of the Artsakh Republic, Arayik Harutyunyan, and Minister of State, Ruben Vardanyan, were recently in Moscow. We asked Metakse Hakobyan if she sees a connection between these visits and the change of this constitutional norm. Our interlocutor said she could not give clear answers because she only had conclusions. “However, I also cannot rule out a possible connection, knowing Araik Harutyunyan well.
During this period, Ruben Vardanyan also did a lot of work to restore social justice in Artsakh. In other words, the worries that have existed among the public for a long time and are not unfounded that the funds of the Artsakh Fund are spent not for the purpose, are given to incomprehensible people, also under unimaginable conditions, and this does not benefit the Republic of Artsakh in any way, on the contrary, it enriches some individuals, and in this situation. Recently, there were rumors that the fund would be inspected, after which there would be revelations. We constantly heard how the representatives of the ruling power of Armenia were complaining about Ruben Vardanyan being in Artsakh and what kind of agitation was raised by Azerbaijan on that occasion, which has not stopped to this day.
That is, it turns out that today there is a person, an individual, or an official in the Artsakh government who is ready to fight for Artsakh and fight in different directions to establish social justice, play a role in foreign policy and change the situation in favor of Artsakh and Armenia, which caused great confusion, and many messed up their plans based on that; they are trying to make adjustments, and they should have consulted with the Russian political elite first which is what they tried to do. I need precise information, I am not informed, and there have been no meetings with the deputies after those visits; I hope that there will be meetings and correct information will be given; otherwise, we have to rely on rumors and assumptions. But everyone has their direction, and, unfortunately, those directions are different. I say this with pain because it should not be like that in Artsakh. At least in this case, in this situation, everyone should look in one direction and at the same point.”
Nelly GRIGORYAN
“Aravot” daily, 15.02.2023
