Expert: new government of Armenia stands out by its pragmatism

YEREVAN, May 6. /ARKA/. Karen Kocharyan, a political analyst, is convinced that the new government of Armenia is able to achieve their objectives.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, he said that although this Cabinet, just like the previous one, is made up of Republican Party’s members, «this is a pragmatic Cabinet that has both feet on the floor and a clear idea of things in Armenia».  

On May 3, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan finished the formation of a new Cabinet in the appointment of Hovik Abrahamyan, who was the speaker of the National Assembly, to the prime-ministerial post. 

Kocharyan also said that the new prime minister's personality is fit well into the country's political backdrop shaped within two decades and added that this gives grounds for hope for positive political and economic changes. 

Answering ARKA News Agency’s question about what the Armenian society expects from the new government and what particular steps it will take, he said that the society seems to be disappointed. 

“Nevertheless, the hope is the last thing to die,” he said. “I can’t say what steps the government will take, but these people are ready to use even “negative” technologies and force for achieving their objectives.”

In his opinion, the new government’s ability to negotiate and to be on the same page with everybody has already been seen in negotiations over the compulsory funding pension system introduction. 

The mandatory funding pension system was introduced in Armenia on January 1, 2014. 

Upon taking his new office on April 13, Hovik Abrahamyan took a first step toward the pension scheme protesters and proposed to suspend fines for evasion of obligatory pension payments until September 2014, when the appropriate laws, in accordance with the Constitutional Court’s decision, will be brought in tune with the Constitution.   

Abrahamyan came up with seven provisions, which should serve a basis of the pension system reformation and should become a guideline in NGOs and political parties’ joint work. One of these proposals implies de-facto suspension of the compulsory component enforcement. -0---