Heriknaz Tigranyan, lawyer, Legal Adviser of Transparency International Anticorruption Center, gave an interview to iLur.am on the necessity of constitutional amendments, the content of the presented draft amendment to the constitution and the perils it contains. In early September 2013 one-man decision to make amendments to constitution and to set up a Specialized Commission for Constitutional Amendments was perceived by public as another opportunity for the ruling political party to legally, constitutionally extend its authority for another term.

One of the reasons why current constitution is not effectively exercised is that the norms stipulated in the basic law are stated as declarative norms. Protection against violation of norms is ineffective because of poor law enforcement. The best constitution stating the best principles might be distorted if governance is carried out into practice by non-democratic principles. The idea of the second round

According to the published draft two political parties having received most votes participate in the second round. The idea of the second round abolish the notion of creating parliamentary democracy. They are perceived as voting as long as one political party’s dominating position is guaranteed in the parliament. What we have now is legitimized by constitutional norms. The ruling political party might easily pass its desired prime minister, government members and any law.

Instead of two mandates – National Assembly and President - stipulated by the constitution one is proposed. To leave one institute that received primary mandate by people means that the people might take part in state governance only once through elections via parliamentary elections. President’s mandate is no longer primary. He/she is not contestant in establishing executive power and the institute of prime minister appointed by the National Assembly is in dictating position.

If this draft turns into constitution, the Armenian citizen may not gain, and his/her life quality may not be improved accordingly.

See the interview in iLur.am.