Marukyan: The Time to End My Constitutional Powers as an MP and LHK Leader Is Approaching

The time to end my constitutional powers as a member of the National Assembly and leader of the 'Enlightened Armenia' parliamentary faction is approaching. Edmon Marukyan posted on his Facebook page.

“I will also cease to serve as the first deputy chair of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Human Rights and Legal Affairs, a member of the commission on the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights, and a member of the Monitoring Committee for the implementation of commitments and obligations of member states of the Council of Europe,” he wrote.

“I have been engaged in big politics for about nine years. I have done everything to ensure that we have a sovereign, democratic, legal, social, developed, and modern Armenia. I have consistently defended these values to the end and advanced them through daily work.

“During these nine years, our opponents have tried to discredit me and my teammates at all costs, attempting to undermine the support and sympathy we have from the people. I must say they have achieved some success in that regard. However, we have continued to serve our people and our state wholeheartedly, believing in the values and goals that guided us into politics.

“In the most difficult moments for the country, we put everything aside and stood firm to uphold the foundations of the state. Sometimes we sacrificed our public rating, did not respond to slanderous propaganda, but we maintained internal stability and contributed to pulling the state out of a difficult situation.

“In the past three years, there have been teammates who have left me and our team, but I can confidently say that I have never abandoned any teammate. Even in the most tense moments, I have tried to maintain at least a minimum standard of human relations with political opponents, striving not to let politics disrupt my aspiration to look directly into each other's eyes.

“One thing is clear: we hold our heads high and our foreheads are clear because we have selflessly served the state and our national interests, doing what we believed in for a stronger Armenia. Even in situations where we have not been understood by our people, we have nonetheless tried to understand our people and continue to serve them wholeheartedly.

“I want to express my gratitude to all those citizens who have voted for me, for the 'Yelk' alliance and for the 'Enlightened Armenia' party at all times, to those who have believed in us and supported us, and to those who still believe in us at certain moments. I want to apologize to those citizens whose hopes and expectations we have not fulfilled and for whom we have remained unrecognized.

“I am confident that we did the right thing in going for extraordinary parliamentary elections, as it was the only way to overcome the crisis. 'Enlightened Armenia' has paid dearly for overcoming that crisis by shortening the mandate of its representatives, but I am sure that no mandate is worth more than the stability of the state in this difficult post-war situation.

“Now is the time for the challenges facing our country to receive pro-Armenian solutions as soon as possible, and this requires restoring solidarity and unity within the country against external threats.

“Let’s take a brief historical excursion from the 5th, 6th, and 7th convocations of the National Assembly: On May 6, 2012, as a human rights defender, an expert in international law and human rights, and a lawyer, I was nominated for the National Assembly elections and elected from electoral district No. 30 in Vanadzor, receiving the maximum votes among five candidates. I was the only independent non-partisan candidate elected from the 131 members of the 5th convocation.

“During the five years of the 5th convocation, I proudly and diligently represented the interests of Vanadzor and the entire Lori region, while making no distinction as to which area of Armenia the citizens who approached me were from. I engaged in numerous national and inter-state issues over those five years, proposing legislative and other solutions to those problems. In short, I served the Republic of Armenia and all citizens without exception.

“I held weekly meetings with citizens in my parliamentary office in Vanadzor and in the National Assembly, and each year I presented public accountability reports. According to the Parliamentary Monitoring data, I was recognized as the most active deputy elected on a majoritarian basis in the 5th convocation.

“In the 2017 elections, I was nominated in the Lori region under a rating system, but not receiving enough rating votes, I was not elected from Lori, but instead was elected as the first on the party list of the 'Yelk' alliance. The 'Yelk' alliance received 9 mandates, after which I continued my legislative work, serving our people both inside and outside the country, protecting Armenia's national interests to the best of my ability in interparliamentary institutions.

“In the early elections of the National Assembly in 2018, I led the party list of 'Enlightened Armenia' and was elected as a majoritarian deputy from electoral district No. 3 in Yerevan. The 'Enlightened Armenia' party obtained 18 mandates as a result of the elections.

“Thus, I continued my legislative work and also led the 'Enlightened Armenia' faction, serving our knowledge, experience, and skills to the state and the people with my teammates. During my legislative years, I represented Armenia in the Euronest Assembly, the Armenia-European Union parliamentary cooperation committee, the EU-Armenia parliamentary partnership committee, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and in several friendship groups, including leading the Armenia-Malta, Armenia-Bahrain, Armenia-Luxembourg, and Armenia-Singapore friendship groups. I have worked in the Standing Committees of the National Assembly on State-Legal Issues, Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs, Human Rights Protection and Public Issues, and Foreign Relations.

“I assure you that the 'Enlightened Armenia' party and I personally will continue to serve the Republic of Armenia and our people for the realization of our dreams. The challenges facing our country are not over with the elections; in post-war Armenia, where our borders are fired upon daily, the issues can only be resolved after ensuring long-term internal stability and strengthening our external political front.

“I am confident that we will meet again, and I embrace you all.

With deep respect, your humble servant,
President of the Management Council of 'Enlightened Armenia' party
Edmon Marukyan