People will evaluate the activities of the parliament
By Karine Mangassarian

Yerkir/arm
27 May 05

Two years have passed since the last parliamentary elections. A
political coalition was formed. The opposition decided to boycott
the work of the parliament. Very rarely one can see at least two
dozens of deputies in the parliament session hall where draft laws
are being heard.

The only time when the deputies come is when there is voting; only
in this case do the “button pushing” deputies come to the parliament
to fulfill their “obligations”. Once vice speaker of the parliament
Vahan Hovhannissian joked noticing a deputy sleeping in the parliament
session hall, even though he is sleeping it’s good that at least he
is here.

What are the accomplishments and failures of the present parliament?
Answering the question why there are so few deputies present during
the parliament hearings, member of Orinats Yerkir faction Hovhannes
Margarian told that during his visit to Poland last year he witnessed
the parliament hearing on a law on communal services where only 7
out of 420 Sejm deputies were present.

“This is a common practice in many countries if the hearings deal
with insignificant legislative amendments”, Margarian noted. As to
the accomplishments and failures of the National Assembly, Margarian
believes people will be the ones to evaluate the activities of the
parliament.

“The present parliament had open door policies and the population
was involved in the discussions and hearings. I think this is very
important.

The other important thing I want to point out is the cooperation
with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe. As a result of
this cooperation, the commitments that Armenia had undertaken in the
sphere of legislative reforms have all been carried out.

Only the Constitution was delayed for 1-2 months because there were
three drafts. To sum up, the parliament has done a good job,” Orinats
Yerkir party representative said. As to the failures, Margarian
defined the absence of the opposition not as a failure but as an
“undesirable phenomenon”.

Answering the question whether the Coalition will be able to counter
the opposition’s constant criticism and demands of change of power
Margarian noted, “After all, the parliament is a representative body
and each deputy must not only enjoy his rights but also fulfill his
obligations. People who work are always criticized because if there
is a working process there are always some drawbacks. We can’t say
that our work is perfect . I think if our population feels the impact
of the reforms that are being carried out there will be no political
grounds for upheavals in our country in the coming 1-2 years. There
were some disagreements within the coalition which I think were
natural for the working environment”.

Head of the Armenian Republican Party’s parliamentary faction
Galust Sahakian believes significant work has been done in the
legislative sphere. “We have passed reform proposals mainly in the
financial-economic sphere.

We managed to ensure the functioning of the government. The parliament
has participated in the economic developments.” Sahakian believes
the opposition’s boycott is unnatural. “I think the opposition’s
actions do not make it possible to perform its functions and have a
very negative impact on the opposition itself.

The population’s confidence is lost because there are no debates
and alternative opinions voiced in the parliament and the issues
discussed there become very vague for the population. I think the
demands for change of power are ridiculous but at the same time it’s
a pity for me to see that we look at others, at foreign countries;
I think this is dangerous,” Sahakian said.

The only opposition deputy whom we managed to meet in the National
Assembly was Manuk Gasparian. He believes there have been no
accomplishments. “The work in the National Assembly is becoming
unbearable. The National Assembly has turned into an amorphous body.
I would recommend the president to dismiss the parliament,” Gasparian
concluded.