Constitutional amendments cause mass hysteria in Armenia
By Laman Sadigova
A new wave of protests against constitutional amendments aimed at changing the political structure of Armenia from presidential to parliamentary, are gaining momentum. Activist groups and organizations have begun to unite against the government’s decision.
The process of constitutional amendments initiated by the Armenian authorities have sped up and, after multi-stage discussions, passed a vote in Parliament. As of now, the president must appoint a day when the nation will take part in a nationwide referendum on the new constitution. According to official information, this referendum scheduled to take place in the late autumn.
Given the balance of power in the Armenian Parliament and the fact that the authorities control the vast majority of the deputies, the results of the voting on the draft amendments were not unexpected.
Deputies from the "Armenian National Congress" (ANC) and the "Orinats Yerkir" (Country of Law), on the opposite side, rejected the draft.
The results of voting by the oppositional factions, even those as radical as the ANC, appeared politically unstable. On the other hand, the results are telling of the absence of a real consensus in Armenian society.
One more significant indicator of the split in opinions in society has been the work of the newly formed fronts, "No!" and the Joint Political Council (OPS).
"No!" was organized by the initiative "Do not spend!" at a conference on September 12 to fight the constitutional amendments. It also announced its intention to initiate a nation-wide opposition to the adoption of the new constitution.
The association includes 30 parties and social organizations, including the ANC, "Heritage," the People's Party of Armenia, "Ayazn," "National Self-Determination," the organization "Founding parliament," the Union of the Political Scientists of Armenia, the public organization "Armat," "March 1," "Freedom and democracy” and the initiative "Do not spend!"
The opposition plans to hold a series of protests, beginning on October 30 in the country’s districts, to fight against the unwanted changes.
Despite the fact that these protests are not large is scale as of yet, the government is attempting to suppress its people by acting aggressive and despotically.
It is obvious that the government, despite the self-confident statements about the desirability of a more progressive and democratic constitution, feels insecure due to the negative attitudes of a vast majority of the Armenian public.
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