Pashinyan's constitutional coup
Opposition parties in Armenia openly talk about the constitutional coup carried out by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his political entourage. We are talking about amendments unanimously adopted in the second reading at an extraordinary meeting of the republican parliament on June 22 by the pro-government My Step faction. The adoption of the amendments opens up wide opportunities for Pashinyan’s supporters to manipulate the composition of the Constitutional Court of the republic, dismissing undesirable judges and appointing judges loyal to the Maidan regime.
89 deputies voted for the changes, with no votes against or abstentions. The opposition factions “Prosperous Armenia” and “Bright Armenia” boycotted the vote.
According to the new amendments, judges of the Constitutional Court who hold their positions for a total term of over 12 years will be dismissed. The remaining judges may remain in office until the expiration of the established term.
“The rest” are only two judges out of nine, including the chairman of the Constitutional Court, Hrayr Tovmasyan.
It is very characteristic that the amendments do not talk about the professionalism and integrity of judges, but only about the length of their tenure.
It is no less interesting that the “My Step” faction adopted the amendments in such a way that they come into force without the signature of the President of Armenia, although, by law, any bill adopted at a meeting of the People’s Assembly must receive the approval of the first person of the state.
Thus, the maydauns entrenched in parliament are turning the president, who is “above the fray,” into a completely decorative figure” - “The violinist is not needed. Go get some sand, dear!”
The oppositionists who boycotted the vote on constitutional amendments explain their refusal by their reluctance to participate in the constitutional coup and declare that they will try to challenge the changes adopted by the Pashinyanites with the old composition of the Constitutional Court.
On Friday, June 26, the amendments to the Constitutional Court of the republic came into force and Pashinyan personally, with voluptuousness, announced that three judges - Alvina Gyulumyan, Felix Tokhyan - would lose their positions, and Hrayr Tovmasyan would cease to be the chairman of the Constitutional Court.
However, one of the suspended judges, Alvina Gyulumyan, despite the prime minister’s statement, came to work at the Constitutional Court.
Gyulumyan poked the maydauns in the face, explaining to journalists that the amendments are amendments, but there is a law regulating the activities of the Constitutional Court, which Pashinyan and his associates stupidly ignored.
According to the law, a court meeting must be convened at which decisions are made on the release and acceptance of each individual person. As for the chatter of individual representatives of the executive and legislative branches, this is not a legal basis for dismissing a member of the Constitutional Court from office.
Gyulumyan promised that she would raise the issue of the unauthorized resignation of members of the Constitutional Court of Armenia in the ECHR, but she was not going to cling to the chair and defend her post “by force.”
It should be noted here that the attack by Pashinyan’s gang on the Constitutional Court of the republic was not spontaneous. It was preceded by some interesting events.
Firstly, Pashinyan started a war against the head of the Prosperous Armenia faction Gagik Tsarukyan, setting the Prosecutor General, the National Security Service and tax officials against him, on the grounds that Tsarkukyan is an oligarch, and “de-oligarchization” began in Armenia two years ago.
Tsarukyan responded by accusing Pashinyan of being unable to govern the state and demanding his immediate resignation.
Voters of the Prosperous Armenia Party came out in support of Tsarukyan, but the police quickly shut down the protest, arresting 91 protesters.
Which explains the opposition-factional sentiments in the Armenian parliament.
In addition, on June 18, ex-President of Armenia Kocharyan, accused of an “anti-constitutional coup”, and in fact of suppressing the March Maidan coup of 4,15, in which Pashinyan took an active part, was released from custody on bail of $2008 million. for which he briefly sat down on the bunk, but flew out into freedom as a pardoned rock pigeon.
They write that Kocharyan does not have that kind of money, but representatives of large Armenian businesses agreed to pay bail for him.
Let us remind you that Kocharyan’s case was transferred for consideration to the Constitutional Court of Armenia in the part that spoke of an “anti-constitutional coup.” The members of the Constitutional Court had to establish whether there really was a “coup”, or whether Pashinyan’s servants sucked it out of nowhere, but, apparently, the old composition of the Constitutional Court was not eager to bend to the Maidan guardsmen, so Pashinyan harbored evil a year ago.
The release of Kocharyan on bail by the Armenian Court of Appeal served as a signal for the dispersal of the Constitutional Court.
It is not surprising that the head of the Court of Appeal Nikoghosyan complains to the press about the incoming death threats against him and his family, so the next target for the crackdown will be the Court of Appeal of Armenia along with its members.
In general, Pashinyan has demonstrated his readiness to engage in political repression, which is based on his personal hostility towards Kocharyan, his supporters and officials who do not find a legal reason for keeping the ex-president under arrest.
We will see where the prime minister’s foolishness will lead Armenia. One thing is clear: nothing good can be expected from the fact that a state allied with Russia is headed by such a narrow-minded and vindictive little man from the street.
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