Statement on the RA Constitutional Law on Amendments and Changes to the RA Constitutional Law on the Charter of the National Assembly adopted at October 2, 2018 extraordinary session of the NA

From day one in office, President Armen Sarkissian has introduced a new culture in carrying out his responsibilities. i.e. each action should be aimed at reaching a precise goal and should be based on the principle of the supremacy of the law. This approach was also in the first effort to propose a candidature of the judge of the Constitutional Court, when taking into consideration different opinions and proposals voiced during the discussions, President Sarkissian initiated a process of consultations to propose the candidature. The same principle is applied before signing any law whether it is an adopted law or changes to the existing law, the President and his staff discuss in detail if there are apparent constitutional or legal problems, if the new law or amendment is conducive to the resolution of the existing problem, if the possible implications have been assessed. All laws must comply with the Constitution and serve their purpose – to regulate a concrete issue.

The RA Constitutional Law on Changes and Amendments to the RA Constitutional Law on the Charter of the RA National Assembly adopted on October 2, 2018 at the extraordinary session of the National Assembly has invoked various comments and discussions.

In fact, a vast majority of public has expressed its discontent regarding the law. Remaining true to his stance, President Sarkissian tasked its Administration to examine more thoroughly the existing international experience on this issue and changes to the Law, along with their justifications.

The research on the changes to the Law, as well as on the existing version of the Law on the Charter of the National Assembly has revealed that there are some apparent constitutional and legal problems.

Taking into consideration all mentioned above and aiming to ensure the supremacy of the Constitution, President Sarkissian has decided to appeal to the Constitutional Court to decide on the compliance of the introduced law with the constitutional requirements.

Administration of the President of Armenia