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Expert: Presidential system of governance in Armenia starts hindering
development of democracy and civil society
arminfo
Wednesday, August 22, 17:39
The nomination of a single opposition candidate at the presidential
elections in Armenia is unable to neutralize the consequences of the
bogginess and bureaucratization of the opposition forces, Ruben
Mehrabyan, expert at the Armenian Center for Political and
International Studies, says in his interview with ArmInfo.
To note, earlier Head of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Faction Armen
Rustamyan said that ARFD was ready to cooperate with other opposition
forces to nominate a single candidate at the presidential elections in
Armenia in 2013. The representatives of Heritage Party, in turn,
repeatedly stated that Heritage Leader Raffi Hovannisian might become
a single candidate from the opposition. As regards the Armenian
National Congress (ANC), it has made no decision yet.
"The current institutional crisis in Armenia affects the parties. We
speak about democracy, about the fight for democracy, but at the same
time we have parties, where, figuratively saying, absolute and even
"theocratic" monarchy is ruling. Thus, it becomes senseless to speak
of the fight for democracy with such tools. When speaking of
democracy, one should simply start changing oneself", he says.
The expert thinks that Armenia needs a wider, non-partisan format,
which sets itself a goal to change the whole structure of state
governance, i.e. the oligarchic, clan system of monopolism. Moreover,
Mehrabyan believes that the presidential system of governing in
Armenia starts hindering the development of democracy and the civil
society. The presidential model of governance lays the bases of this
"absolute monarchy".
"We need a parliamentary system of governance. Some countries of the
former USSR are gradually switching to that system. They start
"diluting" the institute of presidential power. We see it in Moldova
and Georgia. I think Armenia also needs such "dilution" of the
presidential power and introduction of a system of counterbalances.
And in this matter I see a great potential for reaching a civil and
political consensus on dismantling the oligarchic system", he says.
development of democracy and civil society
arminfo
Wednesday, August 22, 17:39
The nomination of a single opposition candidate at the presidential
elections in Armenia is unable to neutralize the consequences of the
bogginess and bureaucratization of the opposition forces, Ruben
Mehrabyan, expert at the Armenian Center for Political and
International Studies, says in his interview with ArmInfo.
To note, earlier Head of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Faction Armen
Rustamyan said that ARFD was ready to cooperate with other opposition
forces to nominate a single candidate at the presidential elections in
Armenia in 2013. The representatives of Heritage Party, in turn,
repeatedly stated that Heritage Leader Raffi Hovannisian might become
a single candidate from the opposition. As regards the Armenian
National Congress (ANC), it has made no decision yet.
"The current institutional crisis in Armenia affects the parties. We
speak about democracy, about the fight for democracy, but at the same
time we have parties, where, figuratively saying, absolute and even
"theocratic" monarchy is ruling. Thus, it becomes senseless to speak
of the fight for democracy with such tools. When speaking of
democracy, one should simply start changing oneself", he says.
The expert thinks that Armenia needs a wider, non-partisan format,
which sets itself a goal to change the whole structure of state
governance, i.e. the oligarchic, clan system of monopolism. Moreover,
Mehrabyan believes that the presidential system of governing in
Armenia starts hindering the development of democracy and the civil
society. The presidential model of governance lays the bases of this
"absolute monarchy".
"We need a parliamentary system of governance. Some countries of the
former USSR are gradually switching to that system. They start
"diluting" the institute of presidential power. We see it in Moldova
and Georgia. I think Armenia also needs such "dilution" of the
presidential power and introduction of a system of counterbalances.
And in this matter I see a great potential for reaching a civil and
political consensus on dismantling the oligarchic system", he says.