Armen Sarkissian's Option to Be Discussed: Not Everyone in Favor in the Commission

The newspaper 'Zhoghovurd' reports: 'According to information from the 'Zhoghovurd' daily, the concept of constitutional reforms will be put up for public discussion in September. As is known, based on the Prime Minister's decision, the expert commission on constitutional reforms is expected to present the preliminary version of the reform draft to the public in December, and there should be a public discussion prior to that.

Furthermore, we have learned that discussions are currently ongoing about how to organize the public discussion, taking into account the state of emergency due to the coronavirus. We have heard that there are currently two options being discussed: either to hold the public discussion in several phases via video conferencing or in an open space large enough to maintain social distancing.

Meanwhile, prior to a final decision, the members of the expert commission continue to work intensively on the draft of the constitutional amendments. Notably, these members are also holding remote meetings. It should be noted that the importance of conducting public discussions regarding the constitutional amendments was highlighted by Armenian President Armen Sarkissian during a meeting with the expert commission members on July 7. 'The public discussion on constitutional amendments should start as soon as possible, even before this document is drafted in legal language,' stated Armen Sarkissian.

Moreover, he also expressed his opinion regarding the Constitutional Court and the selection-appointment of its members. 'And if you ask me, the solution is quite simple: the President of the Republic should appoint the three members of the Constitutional Court available to him, and in the future, the Supreme Judicial Council should appoint three members, three should be appointed by the National Assembly, and three by the Government,' stated Sarkissian.

And now, based on our information, it is not excluded that Sarkissian's expressed opinion will also become a subject of discussion in the commission soon, although we have learned that there is no consensus on this issue, and not everyone is in favor of this option.'