WE CAN’T SPEAK ABOUT DEMOCRACY TODAY
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| 15:06:40 | 04-06-2005 | Politics |
Why the opposition does not take part in the elections of the local
self-government? The reason lies in the acting Constitution. The
government can dismiss the head of a community any moment. “Suppose,
we will get involved in this struggle. We are ready. But the government
can dismiss the opposition Mayor or head of a city community even
after a week of his appointment and declare re-election”, People’s
Party chairman Shavarsh Kocharyan says.
In his words, the country can’t be progressive without real
self-government. In our country the region (marz) governor represent
the whole self-government. However he should only be the person
to watch the process of self-governing. The President instead of
the people appoints the mayor of the capital. It is natural that
the Mayor will serve not to the people but to the person, who has
the power to dismiss him. And last but not least, according to the
acting Constitution a community head election by the community can
be dismissed by the government.
“The principle of power division is badly violated. The division of
power means that every power branch should have its place. Thus,
the government – the executive power works out and exercises the
foreign policy, the legislative power controls the activities of the
executive one, that is the parliamentary majority can dissolve the
government or dismiss the Prime Minister. And what is happening is our
country? The President nominates the Prime Minister and the composition
of the government, which is formed by the Premier’s presentation. The
President can replace any minister or dismiss the Prime Minister
independently of the support or disagreement of the parliamentary
majority. The principle of power division is infringed. The President
presides over the sittings of the government and its decision do not
come in power without the President’s signature. It is quite obvious
that the idea of President-arbiter provided by the semi-presidential
government system is roughly violated”, Shavarsh Kocharyan says.
“The juridical system should be completely independent. Its members
should form its supreme body and judges should be appointed by
this body. Presently appointment, career growth, subjection to
administrative responsibility, dismissal and other issues are decided
by the President. As for the Office of Prosecutor General, it should
not be the President’s bodyguard guided exclusively by the will and
orders of the President”, he adds.
As for the dismissal of the President, in Shavarsh Kocharyan’s opinion
the possibilities are extremely complicated. “The problem is that the
President has such great authority that it is impossible to speak of
democracy”, he said.
Diana Markosyan