Authorities Make Final Decision on Constitutional Court Issue

Internal discussions among Armenian authorities are ongoing regarding the resolution of the Constitutional Court issue in parliament. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted during a press conference on May 16 that due to the coronavirus situation, a referendum cannot be held for at least a year, and waiting to resolve the constitutional crisis is not feasible.

Now, the government is exploring options to address the crisis through parliament. To this end, the Minister of Justice has already approached the Venice Commission. Details have emerged concerning upcoming processes, as reported by the newspaper “Zhoghovurd.”

We have learned that the authorities intend to resolve the Constitutional Court issue in two phases. Currently, Chapter 15 of the Constitution defines how a proposal for constitutional amendments can be adopted, modified, or put to a referendum, but there is no mechanism to withdraw a referendum that has already been scheduled. Nonetheless, there is a provision that allows for the postponement of a referendum due to a state of emergency.

Firstly, a draft will be introduced in parliament to amend the law, adding a provision that the National Assembly will now have the authority to withdraw a draft put to a referendum. After that, the amendment that was to be enacted through a referendum will be adopted in parliament by voting.

The newspaper “Zhoghovurd” contacted Lusine Martirosyan, the head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Justice, for a comment, but she mentioned, “At this moment, I cannot provide a deadline. If there is any news to be published, I will make sure to inform you.”

It should be noted that initially, before the decision to hold a referendum was made, this option was also discussed. However, ultimately, it was decided that the issue should be resolved through a public vote rather than by the deputies. Now, due to the coronavirus situation, a decision has been made to revert to the old option instead of waiting for when a referendum can be held.