Hot Week in Parliament: What to Expect

Today, August 24, discussions on the government's program will begin in the National Assembly. A state of emergency has been declared in both the ruling and opposition camps, writes Hraparak.

Yesterday, intense discussions took place in two parliamentary opposition factions about whether to participate or boycott the session. Opinions were divided, particularly within the 'Hayastan' alliance, where supporters of participation suggested making speeches not on the program itself (especially since they believe there is nothing particularly debatable in the government’s proposal, viewing it as a ceremonial document) but instead to throw accusations of capitulation and betrayal at Prime Minister Pashinyan's face.

In the 'Pativ Unem' alliance, they will follow the behavior of their 'senior' partners — if they boycott, they will too; if they participate, they will as well. As for the ruling side, they were initially inclined not to have Pashinyan attend the parliament at all, with plans for it to be presented by vice-prime ministers or other officials. However, since the Prime Minister’s participation and presentation of the document is a legal requirement, they decided not to give the opposition unnecessary talking points. Therefore, Nikol Pashinyan will be present in parliament.

This means the leadership of the National Assembly is facing a challenging trial, tasked again with protecting Pashinyan's interests to prevent unfavorable remarks from the parliamentary opposition. Alen Simonyan has promised to stifle any such attempts, even risking his own safety, as he did in past weeks, when he reprimanded several deputies just for mentioning the Prime Minister by name, and removed Anna Mkrtchyan from the chamber. Currently, there are two lawsuits regarding his behavior in the Constitutional Court: one related to his election as National Assembly President and another concerning the removal of a deputy.

The government has developed a nearly 100-page program for the years 2021-2026. It intends to take "serious measures" to protect Armenia’s security and sovereignty and to find a fair solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, aiming to unify the nation's best resources, among other objectives. The program, which consists of six parts — security and foreign policy, economy, infrastructure development, human capital development, law and justice, institutional development — is stated to be based on the electoral program of the 'Civil Contract' party, the commitments made to the Armenian citizens during the pre-term National Assembly elections campaign, and the strategy for transforming Armenia by 2050.

According to the introduction of the program, "The protection of Armenia's external security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as a fair resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and creating a favorable regional and international environment around Armenia remain paramount. The government, which has received a vote of confidence from the people to resolve this issue, intends to take significant measures to mobilize public and national best resources." Additionally, establishing national unity based on the rule of law, mutual respect and exclusion of hate and demeaning speech is stated as one of the government's top priorities.

"At the same time, the misinterpretation of democracy as fertile ground for lawlessness and impunity represents serious threats to public safety, the rule of law, and the supremacy of law. The 'Civil Contract' party has received a mandate from the people to establish a dictatorship of law and justice in Armenia and is committed to implementing that mandate relentlessly."

The government’s "greatest mission" is to open a new era of peace for Armenia: "Opening a new era of peaceful development for Armenia and the region is nevertheless the greatest mission the government has taken upon itself before the people following the results of the early elections. The government acknowledges that the resolution of this issue does not solely depend on the Republic of Armenia but also on the stance and willingness of the other countries in the region. The RA government takes upon itself the responsibility and commitment to contribute to opening a new era of peaceful development in the region."

The program states that "the modernized Armenian army" is the first factor for ensuring Armenia's security, followed by the Armenia-Russia strategic alliance and Armenia's membership in the CSTO. According to the program, the National Security Service border troops will gradually take over the protection of the entire state border with Azerbaijan from the Ministry of Defense, and this will involve an increase in the number of border troops, the construction of permanent deployment sites for border units, engineering equipment of the state border, and enhancement of the technical equipment of the border units. An External Intelligence Service will also be established.

By 2026, the government's economic targets include achieving a minimum annual GDP growth rate of 7%, and 9% under favorable external economic conditions, raising the fund for wages in the non-state segment of the formal sector to 25% of GDP, and maintaining an unemployment rate below 10%. At the same time, addressing citizens' social security issues, the following targets have been set: equalizing the minimum pension and average pension amounts to the values of the respective food and consumer baskets. The minimum wage will be set at 85,000 AMD, and extreme poverty will be eliminated.

Opposition deputy Tigran Abrahamyan from the 'Pativ Unem' faction described the program as detached from reality. "Reading the security chapter of the government program creates an impression that it is not talking about Armenia. It is clear that the security threats surrounding Armenia and Artsakh are either not deeply understood or the approach to them is unserious. Aside from the fact that there are excessively many general template formulations, the program does not answer a large number of questions. This government is incapable of addressing the challenges facing our country, and the existing threats are only going to increase," he stated. The deputy promised to address the programmatic provisions in detail later. Members of the 'Hayastan' alliance were busy all day, and Arthur Khachatryan and Andranik Tevanyan said they were in discussions and it was not a suitable time to talk.