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
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