Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 7
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend:
A referendum on constitutional amendments project in Armenia, as expected by most observers, secured victory for the supporters of reforms, which leaves the Serzh Sargsyan clan in power, thus securing its legitimacy in plundering the country's citizens.
Armenian parliament approved the draft of the constitutional reforms in the beginning of October, thereby causing another storm of political protest.
Opponents of the changes fairly stated that the reforms initiated by President Sargsyan will lead to Armenian Parliament becoming the strongest and the only branch of government in the country.
In accordance with the new realities, the parliament of Armenia gained power to appoint and dismiss prime minister and the president. The latter, who until today was chosen by direct election and shared power with prime minister, has become a protocol figure as a result of the referendum.
The president, from now on, will be elected not for five but seven years, and not by the people, but the MPs and representatives of the local authorities.
Meanwhile, prime minister and cabinet of ministers, which are now responsible for the overall management of the system of public administration, will receive the real power.
It is also important that namely the prime minister now becomes the Supreme Commander of Armenian Armed Forces.
The prime minister and other ministers in Armenia will be appointed by the party which has gained the parliamentary majority. It means that the hopes for democracy won't come true in Armenia in the coming decades, since the power in Armenia is created by only one political force which solves all the vital problems of the country by its own.
Obviously, all this was planned for only one purpose: to enable President Sargsyan to remain in power after his second, final term in office expires in 2018.
Following the referendum, Sargsyan got a legitimate reason to continue to rule the country as the parliament speaker, or even the prime minister, while maintaining the ruling Republican Party of Armenia as the strongest political power.
Alas, all this brought only one result: the criminal military-political regime stays in power in Armenia.
Elmira Tariverdiyeva, head of Trend's Russian News Service