IS THE APPOINTMENT OF GOVERNMENT BASED ON PROFICIENCY OR THE POLITICAL PRINCIPLE?
Karabakh Open
Oct 6 2007
Appointments to executive posts continue in Karabakh. Yesterday
President Sahakyan appointed deputy chiefs of the National Security
Service and the Police.
The president also replaced his opponent in the election, the deputy
foreign minister Masis Mayilyan, and appointed the assistant to
president Edward Atanesyan.
In accordance with the Karabakh legislation, the appointment of
government posts is not based on the correlation of forces in the
parliament. The appointment of government is based on proficiency,
and the president of Karabakh has stated this. Nevertheless, it
is obvious that the appointments took into account the affiliation
of ministers with political parties which supported Bako Sahakyan
during the election campaign. For instance, the new prime minister Ara
Harutiunyan was the leader of the Azat Hayrenik Party, which supported
considerably Bako Sahakyan. Arthur Mosiyan, the representative of the
ARF Dashnaktsutyun Karabakh, was appointed minister of justice. His
party also had supported Bako Sahakyan.
There are also members of the Democratic Party among the ministers.
However, the most political move was the dismissal of Masis
Mayilyan who was the main opponent to the acting president. After
the pronouncements of the president on the necessity to proceed from
proficiency in appointments this move is difficult to interpret –
Masis Mayilyan has been working for the NKR MFA since its creation
and is one of the few professional diplomats in Karabakh.
Besides, according to the law, the deputy ministers are appointed by
a government order and not by a decree of the president.
The chair of the State and Legal Committee Yuri Hairapetyan said since
according to the Constitution, the affirmation of the government is
the prerogative of the president, the deputy ministers can also be
appointed by the president.