“It is possible to cooperate with the authorities, remaining an opposition”
Not the number of the standing committees is necessary for the efficient work, but their work. Already former Head of the Standing Committee on Territorial Administration and Local Self-Government Affairs thinks that it is right that the standing committee of agriculture and nature protection were joined to it, “If each member of the committee works efficiently, I do not think that there will be overload. Simply there is a difference in functions, there is an issue of functions and professional directions, but the committee can always establish sub-committees,” the NA former lawmaker Stepan Margaryan told “A1+”. The new NA will have 105 lawmakers instead of previous 131, so the number of the standing committees has also been reduced from 12 to 9, 3 of which will be headed by the opposition and 6- by the representatives of the authorities. In the newly elected NA Yelk (Way out) alliance criticized the joining of the standing committee on human rights affairs with the standing committee on state-legal affairs. “This committee on Human rights affairs isn’t too overloaded to affect the activities of another committee in case of unification,” noted former head of the NA Standing Committee on State-legal Affairs. According to the new Constitution, the role of the opposition increases in the NA. Will in this case the role of the opposition chairman of the standing committee be decisive? “Being a chairman of the committee is not a place to be an opposition, it is place for professional and good work,” notes Stepan Margaryan. “I think that our colleagues from the opposition have that potential, for example, Yelk alliance has brilliant lawyers, people, who can work at the NA,” says Hovhannes Sahakyan. The standing committees of healthcare, motherhood and social affairs have also united. There was also an issue to unite the standing committees on European Integration and foreign relations, but taking into account the possible signing of an agreement with the EU in autumn, the committees were maintained separately.