ARF-D TO NEGOTIATE WITH GOVERNMENT OVER CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS

16:07 * 13.01.15

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF) is going
to conduct negotiations with the government over the constitutional
reforms, which it considers very important.

At a news conference on Tuesday, a member of the party’s Bureau,
Armen Rustamyan, said that they are ready to hold consultations with
the authorities and all other interested sides over the issue.

“The next round includes the consultations with the president; in the
following round, it will go to the National Assembly. We need to have
the political parities’ clear approaches at the debates,” he explained.

Rustamyan said he finds that the constitutional reform concept
reflects all the necessary approaches and viewpoints, adding that
the existing resources do not establish sufficient grounds for a full
government change.

The politician said further that he sees an identity between the
ruling regime and the state. “Our basic task is to make clear to
the state the questions on the domestic level have to do with the
Constitution. If we are not able to see the link between the problems
and the Constitution, we will go in the wrong direction,” he said.

“Whatever is good in the Constitution has to be carried out not
just be declared. It is important to ensure checks and balances,
separating the branches of power,” he added.

Asked to what extent they are confident that the referendum would
be without frauds, Artsvik Minasyan, another member of the party,
stressed the importance of creating restrictive mechanisms.

He further elaborated on the clauses considered acceptable to ARF-D.

“The first clause in the document addresses changes in the government
system, government-building, the formation of an independent judiciary
and the authorities of the indirectly elected president. The fifth
clause addresses the electoral system. Of importance are also the
Central Election Commission’s authorities which are also included in
the concept,” he explained.