1 / 13

On September 15 under the sounds of the RA State Anthem the opening of the eighth session of the NA fifth convocation was announced, and the parliament began the work of the first four-day sittings of the session.

The NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan has informed that by the decision of the RA Central Electoral Commission Karen Bekaryan was registered the NA deputy from the RPA electoral list through proportional electoral system.

The NA Speaker submitted the drafts of the agendas of the session, then the four-day sittings, as well as the decisions on postponing the debate of a number of draft laws. The RA NA decision “On the Special Procedure of the Debate of the RA Draft Constitutional Amendments” was passed.

At the first sitting of the session, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, the NA Ad Hoc Counting Committee was formed. The NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan proposed to reaffirm the current order in the former session which was approved by voting. We’ll remind that according to the current order the Committee consists of 12 members: 6 from the RPA, 2 from the PAP, and one from other 4 factions.

The NA deputies also touched upon the formation of the NA Ad Hoc Committee on Ethics, The NA Speaker urged the factions to present candidates for being included in the NA Ad Hoc Committees on Counting and Ethics.

The deputies debated the RA Draft Constitutional Amendments which submitted the member of the Specialized Commission on the Constitutional Amendments adjunct to the RA President Vardan Poghosyan. He has noted that the main goals of the constitutional reforms proposed are the establishment of the stable democratic system in the country and the guarantee of the rule of law as the cornerstone of legal state. The draft law was worked out by the Commission on Constitutional Reforms, while elaborating it the world experience of the constitutional developments, the inner-constitutional gaps and non-distinctions were overcome, the dynamic development of the Constitution in the draft law was guaranteed, creating constitutional-legal necessary and sufficient preconditions for guaranteeing and strengthening of rule of law in the country.

Vardan Poghosyan touched upon the key phases of the constitutional reforms process, presented the main peculiarities of the parliamentary system of the government, noting that one of the advantages of the model under recommendation is also the fact that the rise of the parliament’s role will promote the implementation of their very functions by the parties. According to Vardan Poghosyan, by the input of the civil initiatives and by including democratic elements, the political system will receive outlined features of democracy.

The RA President's Representative also touched upon the peculiarities of the parliamentary two-phase, parliament-government cooperation, the cases of the NA solution, the order and functions of the RA President's election, the representation of the opposition in the NA bodies, the judicial power, the justice council, the judges' functions and authorities, the final and transitional provisions of the draft.

Ending his speech, Vardan Poghosyan expressed hope that constructive debates will be held in the parliament, the recommendations will give an opportunity to further improve the draft and will be put for referendum which will fully correspond with the principles of democratic and legal state, will be consonant with the tendencies of the modern constitutional development and will serve the further development of the country.

During the sitting the NA President Galust Sahakyan has informed that the Public TV Company expressed readiness to air online the NA plenary sittings on the debates of the Draft Constitutional Amendments.

The NA deputies addressed to the key speaker a number of questions, and Mr Poghosyan gave clarifications to them.

The debate of the draft on the Constitutional Amendments will continue at September 16 sitting.

The last hour of the sitting, in accordance with the RA Law NA Rules of Procedure was allotted to the deputies’ announcements.