Rubinyan Shares Buquicchio's Concerns

Ruben Rubinyan, a member of the National Assembly from the "My Step" faction and the chairman of the Permanent Commission on Foreign Relations, shares the concerns of the President of the Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio, regarding the tension between institutions in Armenia.

Rubinyan wrote on his Facebook page: "The President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio has issued a statement expressing concern about the current tense situation around the Constitutional Court in Armenia. He recalled the Venice Commission’s opinion that the early retirement system for Constitutional Court members should be genuinely voluntary and not accompanied by political or personal pressure. The Chairman of the Commission added that certain public statements and actions recorded recently do not fit within this framework and do not contribute to the de-escalation of the situation. At the end of the statement, Mr. Buquicchio called on all parties to contribute to the de-escalation of the situation to ensure the normal functioning of the constitution.

As with the co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, I share Mr. Buquicchio's concerns about the tension between institutions in Armenia. I believe that the tensions and crisis arising from the activities of Hrayr Tovmasyan must be resolved as soon as possible, and the spirit of the current constitution must be restored. I find it important to highlight Mr. Buquicchio's reminder regarding the voluntary early retirement system. I believe that some recent statements and actions, including those by the President of the Constitutional Court, some members of the Constitutional Court, and representatives of the court's administration, as well as various opposition political figures, can be perceived as political and personal pressure on those Constitutional Court members who may be eligible for the early retirement system."