Armenian ruling party ready to nominate opposition member for the post of prime minister
22.06.2017,
15:46
Vahram Baghdasaryan, a senior parliament member from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, said today the party was ready to nominate a representative of the opposition for the post of prime minister in 2018 after the second and final term of the incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan expires and the country will shift from the semi-presidential form of government to parliamentary republic.
YEREVAN, June 22. /ARKA/. Vahram Baghdasaryan, a senior parliament member from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, said today the party was ready to nominate a representative of the opposition for the post of prime minister in 2018 after the second and final term of the incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan expires and the country will shift from the semi-presidential form of government to parliamentary republic.
Representatives of the opposition Yelk bloc in the parliament asked the prime minister Karen Karapetyan whether he would retain his current post in 2018, saying also that their party had at least two candidates for the post of prime minister.
According to Baghdasaryan, what the ruling party prioritizes is not who will be the prime minister and who will be a government minister, but the government’s development programs for the coming years. He reminded that the ruling party will remain at the helm of the power at least until 2022, when next parliamentary elections will take place.
He also urged opposition MPs to read the Constitution to find out who is entitled to nominate a candidate for the post of prime minister, stressing also that this prerogative belongs only to the party having the parliamentary majority.
Under a package of constitutional reforms, endorsed in a national referendum in 2015, Armenia will change the governance system of the country from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary republic in 2018 after president Sargsyan steps down.
The president of Armenia, whose powers will be significantly curtailed, will be elected for a term of seven years (instead of the current five) by the parliament, not in a national vote. Presidents will be limited to one term of office. To be elected in the first round the candidate must be backed by three-fourths of votes. If this cannot be done, the candidate must be elected by three-fifths of votes. According to the new constitution, the president of Armenia will be head of state, embodying national unity and ensuring the observance of the Constitution. The president cannot be a member of a political party.
Under the approved changes the president is to appoint a candidate for prime minister from the party or party bloc that wins parliamentary elections. If parliamentary forces are unable to agree on the candidacy of the head of government, parliament is to be dissolved. A vote of no-confidence in the prime minister can be passed no sooner than a year after their appointment.
The armed forces are subordinated to the government, and the prime minister is the supreme commander of the armed forces in times of war.
Representatives of the opposition Yelk bloc in the parliament asked the prime minister Karen Karapetyan whether he would retain his current post in 2018, saying also that their party had at least two candidates for the post of prime minister.
According to Baghdasaryan, what the ruling party prioritizes is not who will be the prime minister and who will be a government minister, but the government’s development programs for the coming years. He reminded that the ruling party will remain at the helm of the power at least until 2022, when next parliamentary elections will take place.
He also urged opposition MPs to read the Constitution to find out who is entitled to nominate a candidate for the post of prime minister, stressing also that this prerogative belongs only to the party having the parliamentary majority.
Under a package of constitutional reforms, endorsed in a national referendum in 2015, Armenia will change the governance system of the country from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary republic in 2018 after president Sargsyan steps down.
The president of Armenia, whose powers will be significantly curtailed, will be elected for a term of seven years (instead of the current five) by the parliament, not in a national vote. Presidents will be limited to one term of office. To be elected in the first round the candidate must be backed by three-fourths of votes. If this cannot be done, the candidate must be elected by three-fifths of votes. According to the new constitution, the president of Armenia will be head of state, embodying national unity and ensuring the observance of the Constitution. The president cannot be a member of a political party.
Under the approved changes the president is to appoint a candidate for prime minister from the party or party bloc that wins parliamentary elections. If parliamentary forces are unable to agree on the candidacy of the head of government, parliament is to be dissolved. A vote of no-confidence in the prime minister can be passed no sooner than a year after their appointment.
The armed forces are subordinated to the government, and the prime minister is the supreme commander of the armed forces in times of war.
