What is the authorities’ real objective for changing the composition of the CC?
Vice-President of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, speaking of an initiative of the opposition factions, more particularly the “Prosperous Armenia”, to apply to the Constitutional Court with respect to the legality of the decision relating to the organization of peaceful assemblies during the state of emergency, told that “Prosperous Armenia”, at every occasion relating to the debate over the Constitutional Court, has expressed its agreement with the idea that there is indeed an issue with that Court.
They have repeatedly stressed having VOTED AGAINST the election of Hrayr Tovmasyan to the Constitutional Court, but now they have decided to apply to the same Hrayr Tovmasyan for a solution. This will conclude the stage of checking the coordinates, according to him. “I am not so sure that we will not have solved the issue of the Constitutional Court by then, and that the application will be heard by the current composition of judges. I have some doubts about that”, Simonyan said. This statement by A. Simonyan, which seems a small paragraph at first sight, has got multiple layers in it. It clearly shows that the issue of the CC bears a personalized nature, otherwise what can the fact of not having elected Tovmasyan have anything to do with the faction’s applying to the Constitutional Court afterwards ? (not electing someone may have different reasons, including personal antipathy).
Besides, the Constitutional Court is yet again identified with the person of H. Tovmasyan. The CC is yet again being accused of plotting, this time around with the parliamentary opposition, quoting as a ground for the aforementioned the mere fact of the opposition’s intention to file an application to the CC; the legal process is yet again politicized, and intolerance is shown for the checks and balances mechanism. Let’s admit that that this institution’s being involved in so many “plots” is a bit odd.
Making no hint to the legality of the respective regulation and stressing that the composition of the judges will soon be changed, he manifestly shows their strong desire to deprive the opposition of an important tool of resistance and their vision of having a controllable CC in the future. Under the circumstance, and considering also the preceding events, can anyone still have doubts about the “good intentions” behind the wish to change the composition of the CC, i.e. the rollout of the 2015 model?
Armine Vardanyan
