Marukyan Proposes Solution to Shortage of Highly Qualified Personnel from Abroad

The ‘Enlightened Armenia’ faction proposes amending Article 148, Part 1 of the Constitution, wrote the faction leader Edmon Marukyan on Facebook, detailing the purpose of the amendment.

“As many of you know, according to the current Constitution, a member of the Government of the Republic of Armenia (Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister) can only be a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, and moreover, they must have been a citizen for at least the last four years. At the same time, they must also meet the residency requirement for the same period (regulations of Article 48, Part 2 and Article 148, Part 1 of the Constitution).

This provision effectively prevents our compatriots from the diaspora and their skills, connections, and other opportunities from being involved in the crucial functions of state governance. This is an unacceptable regulation in the domestic governance system, especially given the current catastrophic situation and the shortage of highly qualified personnel.

Therefore, ‘Enlightened Armenia’ intends to amend Article 148, Part 1 of the Constitution in such a way that a government member (except for the Prime Minister) can be a capable citizen of Armenia who is over the age of 25 and speaks Armenian, regardless of their citizenship in another state, the time of obtaining Armenian citizenship, and the duration of their residency in Armenia. This constitutional amendment can be implemented through the National Assembly.”