Tuesday, February 6, 2017 Opposition MPs Decry Another Curb On President's Powers . Sisak Gabrielian Armenia - Edmon Marukian, a leader of the opposition Yelk alliance, speaks during a parliament session in Yerevan, 6 February 2018. Opposition lawmakers on Tuesday rejected as unconstitutional a government bill that would seriously limit the next Armenian president's power to grant pardons. Under Armenia's radically amended constitution, the head of state to be elected by the parliament next month will play a largely ceremonial role in view of the country's transition to the parliamentary system of government. Pardoning individuals convicted of various crimes will be one of the few executive powers vested in the presidency. Article 135 of the constitution stipulates that the president can grant pardons "in a manner and cases defined by the law." It does not elaborate. A draft Law on Pardons submitted by the government to the National Assembly makes clear that all presidential decisions on clemency sought by convicts will have to be approved by the prime minister beforehand. The latter would also set up a special advisory commission examining requests for early release from prison and concluding whether they should be granted. Edmon Marukian, a senior lawmaker representing the opposition Yelk alliance, insisted that the bill runs counter to the relevant constitutional provision."The president would simply be presented with draft decisions [on pardons] and told to sign them," argued Marukian. "Yet the constitution says that he is the one who can pardon people." Gevorg Petrosian, a parliament deputy from the Tsarukian Bloc, agreed, saying that the president of the republic would be effectively stripped of their constitutional authority to pardon people. He also complained that the bill does not specify the grounds on which the prime minister will be recommending or arguing against presidential pardons. However, Arpine Hovannisian, a deputy parliament speaker representing the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), denied any contradiction between the proposed law and the constitution. The HHK majority in the parliament will also almost certainly side with the government. The government is also planning to push through the parliament a number of other bills that would underline the next prime minister's status as Armenia's most powerful official. In particular, the premier will head a new Security Council tasked with formulating the country's policy on national defense. It will be more powerful than a similar presidential body currently advising Sarkisian on national security. Some observers view these bills as a further indication that Sarkisian is intent on becoming prime minister right after completing his second and final presidential term on April 9. The outgoing president has still not clarified his political plans. EU Plans New Aid Package For Armenian Regions . Satenik Kaghzvantsian Armenia - Piotr Switalski (R), head of the EU Delegation in Armenia, awards a participant of an EU-sponsored cross-country ski festival in Ashotsk, 4 February 2018. The European Parliament is planning to allocate around 40 million euros ($50 million) for development projects that will be launched in three regions in northern Armenia this year, according to a senior EU diplomat. "We are discussing with the Armenian government our action plan for 2018 and will most probably focus on three directions: tourism, agriculture and creative economy," Piotr Switalski, head of the EU Delegation in Yerevan, said over the weekend. Speaking during an EU-sponsored cross-country ski festival in Ashotsk, a small town in northwestern Armenia, Switalski said the fresh aid package is aimed at stimulating economic activity and reducing poverty in the Shirak, Lori and Tavush provinces. Shirak has long been the country's poorest region. It is still reeling from a devastating earthquake in 1988 that killed tens of thousands of people and left many others homeless. Commenting on aid programs planned for Shirak, Switalski said in particular that the EU will spend more than 500,000 on euros on a pilot project designed to support commercial wool processing in Amasia, an impoverished provincial town 23 kilometers southwest of Ashotsk. The EU will also be promoting tourism in the area known for harsh winter weather, he said. The ski festival held there is part of that effort. "We see a potential here," Switalski told reporters. "We believe that together with its Armenian and other partners the EU can help to create employment and other opportunities for locals so that they see the realization of their dreams here." The EU has been one of Armenia's leading foreign donors ever since the early 1990s. Switalski said in November that it will provide the country with at least 170 million euros in fresh aid over the next three years. The diplomat spoke shortly after the signing of a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the EU and Armenia. Armenian Opposition Pushes For Parliament Debate On Tax Cuts . Astghik Bedevian Armenia - The opposition Yelk alliance holds an anti-government rally in Yerevan, 5 February 2018. The opposition Yelk alliance moved closer on Tuesday to forcing a parliament debate on its demands for repealing government-drafted legislation which it blames for recent increases in the prices of fuel and some foodstuffs in Armenia. A bill put forward by Yelk calls for reversing higher excise duties on fuel, tobacco and alcohol as well as income taxes collected from Armenians earning well above the national average wage. The bill was formally backed by 29 members of the 105-seat National Assembly, meaning that it has to be debated on the parliament floor on February 16. Yelk, which holds 9 parliament seats, secured more than 27 signatures needed for holding the emergency parliament session thanks to the backing of businessman Gagik Tsarukian's alliance, the second largest parliamentary force. The Tsarukian Bloc is also officially in opposition to the government. Naira Zohrabian, a senior Tsarukian Bloc lawmaker, voiced support for the Yelk initiative. She cautioned that deputies from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) may scuttle the debate by preventing the legislature from making a quorum. "They block any rational and positive initiative that doesn't fit into their intra-clan rules of the game," charged Zohrabian. "We will carry on with our tactic. Unfortunately, this is all the opposition can do." Yelk's Edmon Marukian was careful not to predict an HHK boycott of the February 16 session. He said that the pro-government majority could make serious concessions as a result of "public pressure." Yelk held demonstrations in Yerevan in support of its demands on January 19 and February 5. The protests attracted only several hundred people. Nevertheless, Marukian sought to put a brave face on the modest turnout. "Had it not been for those protests there would have been no emergency session of the parliament," he claimed. Meanwhile, the HHK-controlled majority was in no rush to pass judgment on the Yelk bill or say whether its lawmakers will turn up for the debate.The ruling party's parliamentary leader, Vahram Baghdasarian, said only that it will discuss the opposition motion. "Their proposals have to be realistic, rather than populistic, and correspond to our resources," he told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). In that regard, Baghdasarian defended the Armenian government's economic policies which are aimed, among other things, at increasing tax revenue. "If we want to ensure our progress, to be able to speak of raising salaries and pensions later on # we need to look at our [financial] means," he said. Prime Minister Karen Karapetian downplayed last month the socioeconomic impact of the increased prices of fuel and products such as meat, butter and potatoes, insisting that inflation in Armenia remains low. Karapetian also defended the higher income tax rates for high-earners. Press Review "Zhamanak" reports and comments on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's decision to bring forward Azerbaijan's next presidential election, initially scheduled for October 2018, by six months. The paper wonders if Aliyev is worried about unexpected internal or external developments later this year that could complicate his reelection. It notes that the snap Azerbaijani election will be held just two days after President Serzh Sarkisian completes his final term. Later in April, the Armenian parliament will elect a new prime minister who will likely be the country's most powerful official. "Zhoghovurd" says Sarkisian is now keen to ensure that the power levers are concentrated in the prime minister's hands after the end of his presidency. "And since Serzh Sarkisian himself is regarded as the main candidate for the post of prime minister, they are attempting to write up the entire legislation relating to the work of government bodies in accordance with that logic," writes the paper. It says that some of those new laws drafted by the government run counter to the Armenian constitution. In particular, the constitution empowers the next president of republic to grant pardons. However, a new government bill submitted to the National Assembly makes clear that presidential pardons must be formally proposed by the prime minister. "Haykakan Zhamanak" reports that the prices of gasoline in Armenia rose by another 2 percent over the weekend." "Why? It's not clear," writes the paper. "At least there is no logical economic explanation for that. The bulk of Armenia's petrol is imported from Russia. The petrol price in Russia has not risen in the past week. A mystery? Yes, from the economic standpoint. But in reality everything is clear." The fuel prices in Armenia are determined by a handful of importers, not the market, concludes the paper. "Aravot" deplores the controversial cancellation of presentations of the Armenian translation of a memoir written by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. "Who are our authorities afraid of when they ban the Saakashvili book presentations?" the paper asks in an editorial. "The Kremlin or Georgia's current government? It does not really matter. What should matter in this case is a far more simple principle: does that book violate Armenia's laws?" (Tigran Avetisian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org