President seeks ‘transition to once again happen within law and Constitution’

The only way for resolving the Armenian domestic political developments is the path of dialogue, negotiations and agreements, in conditions of law, rule of law and the Constitution, President Armen Sarkissian told reporters during a visit today to the Charles Aznavour Home in Yerevan.

Reporters asked whether the president plans to sign the controversial bill into law. “After returning [from abroad] I began meetings with the prime minister, the Speaker of Parliament, and political parties, with the goal to achieve what we are speaking about, in order for the transition to once again happen within the framework of the Constitution and law,” he said.

The controversial bill is an amendment to the Rules of Procedure law of the parliament, whereby in the event of a parliament session being unable to be held because of lack of quorum, or if lawmakers are anyhow prevented from participating, it will be considered interrupted rather than failed, with a possibility of resuming at a later date. The aim of the bill is apparently a limitation of possible circumstances of dissolution of parliament. The bill was adopted on October 2 by the parliament which is dominated by Republicans [HHK], which sparked demonstrations. Adopted bills should be signed into law by the president to come into effect.