Parliamentarians Unreservedly Praise Any Initiative of the Government: Tatoyan

One of Armenia's burgeoning problems is the degradation of the parliamentary oversight role and its function as a democratic mechanism that restrains the Government. This was stated by former Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan on his Facebook page.

"It is evident that the head of the Government views the members of the ruling faction in the National Assembly as his subordinates or 'employees.' This attitude has led to a similar perception within the Government and, in general, throughout society. As a result, the members of the ruling faction lack autonomy in decision-making. They are at most defended by 'political decisions' or the safety nets formed by their 'political team.' In reality, it is clear that it concerns decisions made by the Government or, rather, the head of the Government.

For example, they unreservedly praise any initiative of the Government. The parliamentarians come forward with 'innocuous' questions, while for important or sensitive issues, initiatives are allocated in such a way that the Government attempts to avoid the complex processes of circulation and discussion, resolving the matter quickly and without unnecessary public or, furthermore, international attention. This corrupt practice especially intensified following the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is now evident that both the Government and the ruling faction in the National Assembly operate under the principle that 'the decision will be made anyway,' as they know that the votes of the ruling faction alone are sufficient to pass any law or resolve any issue. Such practices effectively negate public oversight mechanisms from the top down, that is, through the actions of the Government and the ruling faction in the National Assembly. This also distorts the essence of the rule of law.

To this, one must add the practice whereby appointments in bodies that are independent from the Government and the National Assembly are made solely with the votes of the ruling faction, endowing these bodies solely with the legitimacy of the ruling majority. Secret ballot voting results have also shown 'yes' votes, and subsequently such outcomes become a point of pride for the ruling majority. There has even been footage of a member of the ruling faction entering a vote while on their phone; it cannot be ruled out that there are mechanisms for controlling the voting processes. In effect, what is formed is what is called a dictatorship of the political majority in international practice," wrote Arman Tatoyan.