The Artsakh government building
The Republic of Artsakh plans to transition to a semi-presidential system of government. A constitutional reform commission established by Artsakh’s president published a draft proposal on Friday, which, among other reforms, suggests separation of executive powers between a president and a prime minister.
Below is the text of the proposal.
Taking into consideration the imperative to ensure the security of the Republic of Artsakh, the existing challenges facing the Republic of Artsakh, as well as with the goal of achieving flexibility within the state administration system in times of martial law or state of emergency and in emergency situations, it is proposed to transform the government system by transitioning to a semi-presidential system of government.
The semi-presidential system would rely on two hubs: the President and a Prime Minister enjoying the trust of the parliament.
The President, being the guarantor of the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and security of the Republic of Artsakh, will coordinate the work of state bodies in the defense area, and will serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the President of the Security Council.
The executive power will be vested in the government led by the Prime Minister, who will coordinate the work of a 15-member Cabinet (ministers). Currently, the President is the head of the executive power. There is no position of a prime minister now and the government is composed of the State Minister and Ministers who are appointed by the President.
Given the current military-political situation, the commission also proposed to hold general elections gradually – parliamentary elections with proportional system in 2023 and presidential elections in 2024. At the same time, the concept proposes to reserve parliament the right to elect a President in emergency cases.
Artsakh changed its constitution in 2018, adopting an exclusively presidential system of government. In 2020 Artsakh voters elected Arayik Harutyunyan as president, in a heated election that saw a runoff.