We Demand the President Not to Sign the Bill Adopted in Violation of Constitutional Requirements

The Council of the "National Agenda" party has issued a statement, which reads:

“Today, the "My Step" faction of the National Assembly approved the draft amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia in the first reading, in the absence of opposition factions in the National Assembly, and plans to hold the second reading within 24 hours. Such a procedure blatantly contradicts Article 169 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, as well as Article 86 of the Constitutional Law on the Rules of Procedure of the RA National Assembly, which unambiguously requires that the draft constitutional amendments be presented to the Constitutional Court after being approved in the first reading, in order to verify the compliance of the proposed changes with the Constitution.

We demand that the "My Step" faction of the National Assembly refrain from any actions that contain elements of violating the constitutional order, and in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution, appeal to the Constitutional Court to verify the compliance of the proposed amendments with the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia. Simultaneously, we call on the members of the National Assembly to refrain from voting on the bill in the second reading without obtaining the opinion of the Constitutional Court.

If, nonetheless, the bill is adopted in the second reading in violation of constitutional requirements, we demand that the President of Armenia not sign the bill adopted in violation of constitutional requirements and send it to the Constitutional Court. Likewise, considering the absence of opposition factions during the extraordinary session of the National Assembly, we urge them to combine their efforts and also appeal to the Constitutional Court to verify the compliance of this draft with the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.”