Author: Samvel Nahapetian

The Commission for Reforms in Electoral Code under Prime Minister made important decisions during its second session.

First Deputy PM AraraT Mirzoyan informed the reporters after the session of the Commission that two important decisions have been made referring to the election system and electoral threshold. “The Commission has stated that the electoral system should be fully proportional with closed lists. The electoral threshold for parties and coalitions will be lowered by 1%”, Mirzoyan said.

The First Deputy PM mentioned clear reasons for eliminating the ranked voting system that were discussed during the session. “At this moment it’s impossible to effectively apply the ranked voting system in Armenia”, Mirzoyan said, adding that the amended electoral code will give women more opportunities, since almost in all cases men are elected when the ranked voting system is applied.

In the current Electoral Code electoral threshold for parties is 5% and 7% for coalitions.

Attended by RA President Armen Sarkissian, today, for the first time in Armenia’s history, the members of the new government were sworn in at the Presidential Palace.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was the first to take the floor and read out the text of the oath: “For the sake of achieving the national goals and strengthening the Homeland, I swear to fulfill in good faith all the duties assumed before the people, observe the Constitution and laws, promote the sovereignty and the interests of the Republic of Armenia, remain committed to the high office of member of government.”

Then the other members of government took turns to swear solemnly to the nation. At the end of the oath-taking ceremony, President Sarkissian congratulated the Prime Minister and the Cabinet members, wishing them fruitful and productive work for the benefit of the Homeland and the Armenian people.

Note that the government’s oath-taking comes as a novelty in our country’s political and public management culture.

President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan has weighed in on the ongoing unrest in Armenia.

The President released a statement, saying : “These days all Armenians are focused on the ongoing developments in Yerevan and a number of cities of Armenia. Artsakh cannot remain indifferent for ongoing developments in Mother Armenia and is also following this all.

For our homeland, which is in a complex geopolitical situation and threatened by an insidious enemy any second, any attempt of destabilization and undermining of unity is dangerous and fraught with the worst consequences, which can’t not impact of security, defense-ability and the situation at the borders.

Any citizen of Armenia is entitled with presenting his opinion or vision about the present or future of the country. This is an inseparable Constitutional right.

However, this right must be exercises exclusively within the law, never forgetting that the most important factor of guaranteeing security of the two Armenian states has been and is domestic stability.

Dear countrymen, I call on you all to unconditionally adhere to the law, to settle disputed issues through dialogue, display restraint and high level of responsibility.

We must not make mistakes the consequences of which can be fatal for our people and the free and independent statehood, which is the supreme value for any Armenian, in Armenia, Artsakh or the Diaspora”, the statement says.

Karabakh is a small country, but it doesn’t serve a basis to say that it doesn’t have a right to live freely. People lived here for thousands of years and will continue living, 3rd President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, the ruling Republican Party’s candidate for Prime Minister, said in an interview to the Russian Izvestiya news agency.

He stated that although the active stage of the Nagorno Karabakh exists for already three decades, this conflict existed previously.

“25 out of 30 years have passed through the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group. In 1994, by the mediation of Russia, a trilateral termless ceasefire agreement was signed. Unfortunately, since 2014 Azerbaijan almost every day violated the ceasefire regime.

In April 2016, failing in the negotiations, the Azerbaijani side, by violating all its commitments through the agreement, launched a large-scale aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic by using a large number of air force, armored vehicles, large caliber artillery, missile and artillery systems, most of which has been acquired from Russia. But they failed to solve any serious issue, and on the 5th day the sides met by Russia’s mediation and agreed to restart the implementation of the provisions of the agreement signed earlier”, Sargsyan said.

He recalled that during the period following this a number of summits were held during which agreements were reached to create investigative mechanisms for ceasefire violations and expand the powers of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

“But the Azerbaijani side, returning to Baku, refused to implement the agreements. In 2007 the Minsk Group proposed to solve the conflict based on the three principles of international law – non-use of force of threat of force, equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and territorial integrity. We think that this is a balanced approach of mutual concessions. This is not what we have dreamed of. This is not the best option for us. But understanding that the issue can be settled only based on a mutual concession, we agreed to negotiations. And it seemed in 2011 we were close to the signing in Kazan. But Baku put forward additional demands, and the signing didn’t take place”, the 3rd President of Armenia said.

Serzh Sargsyan stated that the Azerbaijani leadership has an illusion according to which the mutual concession is possible only by Armenia and Artsakh. According to its leadership, it is due to this that the status-quo remains unchanged. “But here a response mutual concession is needed. Azerbaijanis still hope for the military settlement of the conflict. As the practice showed both in early 1990s and in 2016, this is impossible. There will be great losses, casualties, but the situation will not change in any case. Nevertheless, sooner or later we should come to any settlement. The sooner the better.

And the future of Karabakh is the free life. Yes, it’s a small country, but this is not yet a reason to say that you have no right to live freely. People lived there for thousands of years and will continue living also in the future. Of course, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries – Russia, the United States and France, do a lot for the conflict settlement. Five statements were made at the presidents level, and all these speak about the fact that the conflict can be settled based only on these three principles. These principles are inseparable. And this is very important”, Serzh Sargsyan said.