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Gagik Jhangiryan: It is not the right time to switch to parliamentary form of government (video)

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Opposition lawmaker Gagik Jhangiryan says the constitutional reforms initiated by Serzh Sargsyan pose a danger. “The changes imply a transition to the parliamentary form of government but it is not the right time to do it, no matter which force will take most seats in parliament, what kind of government we shall have and who the prime minister will be,” says Mr Jhangiryan, who represents the Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction in parliament. The lawmaker is against the content of the constitutional reforms because he thinks the country needs a strong executive. He says the First Republic collapsed because the role of parliamentary form of government was very big in it and ‘it did not allow the executive branch to make quick and operational decisions and implement them.’ The MP says Armenia’s political system, parties and their traditions are not fit for the parliamentary form of government and political forces represented in the National Assembly can hardly decide to vote on declaring war against some other country. Mr Jhangiryan does not believe that the semi-presidential system is the main problem of Armenia. However, he is not going to meet with Serzh Sargsyan or the Commission on Constitutional Reform to discuss his concerns over the proposed amendments. “I know more than they imagine. I know the opinion of our population on the issue. If you look back at the constitutional amendments proposed in 2005, you will see that there were again forces that proposed to shift to the parliamentary form of government. Pay attention to the arguments presented to reject the expediency of the parliamentary system of government. Now all these arguments have been distorted.” On July 5, when Armenia marked the 20th anniversary of Constitution, Serzh Sargsyan  reaffirmed his intention to carry out constitutional reforms in the country.