Saturday, August 6, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

Our Democracy is On the Verge of Collapse

by Contributor
June 26, 2020
in Armenia, Commentary, Latest, Top Stories
7
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Armenia's Constitution
Armenia’s Constitution

BY VICKEN SOSIKIAN

On June 22 Nikol Pashinyan’s My Step Block, which has absolute control over the parliament in Armenia, passed a law that amends Article 213 of the Armenian Constitution. The amendment caps the years of service for Constitutional Court judges and forces the removal of those judges who have served more than 12 years.

This may not seem like such a terrible idea if it were not for the fact that the Pashinyan camp intentionally bypassed the required Constitutional Court’s review of the amendment.

Article 168 Part 1 states that the Constitutional Court determines the compliance of laws, decisions of the National Assembly, decrees and executive orders of the President of the Republic, decisions of the Government and the Prime Minister, and secondary regulatory legal acts with the Constitution.

This means that the Constitutional Court has a duty to review all laws and decisions prior to enforcement – something they have thus far been stripped of with regard to the Constitutional Amendment at hand.

Article 168 Part 2 states that prior to the adoption of draft amendments to the Constitution, as well as draft legal acts put to referendum, the Constitutional Court determines compliance with the Constitution.

This section further solidifies the need to ensure all amendments to the Constitution are reviewed by the Constitutional Court.

Article 86 Part 2 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly states that the Chairperson of the National Assembly shall, within two working days, send draft amendments to the Constitution to the Constitutional Court for review.

The president of the National Assembly, Ararat Mirzoyan, who is tasked with ensuring adherence to procedure, has violated this rule.

One must think that if the proposed Constitutional amendment did not bear severe red flags, such as the violation of Article 4 of the Constitution, which stipulates a balance of power among the state’s judicial, legislative and administrative bodies, then why would Pashinyan jump through hoops to circumvent a Constitutional Court review of the amendment?

The special session in which the Constitutional amendment was passed was boycotted by the two opposition parties in the parliament; so this packet of laws was passed exclusively by the Pashinyan camp.

Article 123 Part 2 of the Constitution tasks the President of the Republic with ensuring compliance with the Constitution. As such, many were hopeful that the president would fulfill this responsibility and send the amendment to the Constitutional Court for review – similar to two (far less significant) laws that he sent in for review just a few months ago.

However, in the middle of the night, the president signed off on a packet of laws that included the Pashinyan Constitutional amendment – without sending it in for Constitutional Court review.

A slightly different version of the very same amendment was slated for a referendum on April 5, but was postponed due to the state of emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The constitution also requires constitutional amendments be reviewed by the Constitutional Court prior to setting a referendum date. That article was also violated by the Pashinyan camp, but the concept of a referendum would have at least provided an opportunity for public discourse on the matter.

In stark contrast to the democratic values Pashinyan touts, Article 213 of the Constitution has now (as far as Pashinyan is concerned) been amended, with virtually no public discourse and in violation of the Constitution – resulting in full dominance of all three branches of power in the republic by one man.

The ARF in Armenia has, from the very beginning of Pashinyan’s quest to dominate the Constitutional Court, pushed for the process to be carried out within the legal and constitutional framework that is accepted by all parties and served as the very same structure through which Pashinyan came to power.

Furthermore, the ARF has consistently been a constructive extra parliamentary oppositional force. It has extended a helping hand in matters of national significance, it has mobilized the expertise of its ranks to offer thorough input and feedback to the government on various matters, and (as it has since its founding) has placed the resources of its global infrastructure at the service of the Armenian people and republic.

Unfortunately, not only has this sincerity fallen on deaf ears, it has been responded to with insulting attacks by Pashinyan and his teammates. But worse of all it has not stopped Pashinyan from overstepping the Constitution and putting our democracy on the verge of collapse.

It is now left up to each of us to ask the critical questions, to question the intentions of each responsible individual, and in coming to terms with the facts before us, to rally behind those who are guided by a moral compass that transcends self fulfillment (at minimum) and is instead led by an ideology and a program – those who have proven their dedication to our state and Cause for more than a century.

<<Դաշնակցութեան ճամբայ բացե’ք>>

Contributor

Contributor

Next Post

Military Exercises Held in Artsakh’s Tigranakert

Comments 7

  1. David Karamian says:
    2 years ago

    Pashinyan needs full autonomy to get his agenda accomplished! He’s in the right track and without his efforts to country would be overrun by the crooks who’ve looted the country for 30 years while everyone else including ARF has been standing on the sideline watching.

    Reply
  2. Norin says:
    2 years ago

    Nobody anointed the ARF the judge, jury, and executioner of Armenians worldwide and in Armenia. The ARF while perhaps good intentioned, had its opportunity in both the late 90’s when republicans came to power all the way through the 2000’s to present day. What did the ARF do during this time? The Republican Party reigned free like a bunch of criminals, which they are, and the ARF was content grasping and gnawing at political scraps thrown for them from the Republican governing table.

    Even in the midst of the popular uprising, the ARF rather than taking a principled stance alongside Pashinyan, whom at the time had the whole of Armenia supporting him, the ARF flip flopped and vied for optimal political positioning by constantly switching its support to the apparent “winning side”. Even at the last minute ARF supported Serj Sargsyan before he abruptly resigned and the ARF ended up exactly where they didn’t want to be, the loser’s side.

    Next the people voted and having seen who struggled with Pashinyan, the ARF lost all seats in Parliament NOT because Pashinyan forced you out, but because non-ARF Armenians simply do not trust the ARF any longer and voted you out. The ARF as an entity needs to find its roots, using the 70’s and 80’s as examples of when it had the people’s trust both in and out of Armenia.

    These constitutional changes are the only way these vestige judges will be cleared out. We need new blood in all of Armenia’s institutions. People are tired of the same worthless self serving parties vying for power in Armenia’s political landscape, big serious changes are needed and getting rid of these corrupt judges is part of that change.

    You can’t allow the very corrupt leaders you are trying to get rid of to deem whether or not the new laws that will lead to their ousting are “constitutional” or “unconstitutional”. The notions in this article are ridiculous. The focus should be on reforming Armenia and the author is drudging up support to help corrupt judges to stay in office perpetually via a loophole put in place by scum bag Republican Party members.

    Reply
  3. Garnik Torosyan says:
    2 years ago

    Dear Viken:
    Your article tells at best only the half of, a not relevant story.
    It seems you are applying the democracy from a very partisan angle which is not going to be helpful to Armenia causes and as proven in the past it will hurt Armenian of all colours. The legitimate government of Armenian people headed by Pashinian and I can say the legitimate government of Armenian in diaspora ( no matter how much is hated by ARF hardened old leadership), has mandate to give Arminan people inside Armenia and in diaspora HOPE. Hope to free Armenia from all evils of corruption, oligarchy, tyranny of past 30 years ( where in most part of it ARF was an accomplice)
    The deposed CC judges acted as the most effective facilitators of that tyranny, by repeatedly rubber stamping fraudulent elections , there are very partisan people like yourself, who know these facts but try to assume that ordinary Armenian in Armenia and diaspora can be made confused ( to say the least ) by presenting a democratic problem as a legal issue.
    The CC belonged to deposed governments of past.

    A very recent manifestation of the fact that the deposed CC judges were servants of past tyranny regimes was the recalling of application of Kocharian’s lawyers from CC before arrival of new CC judges

    Armenia should move forward with clean institutions.

    ARF cac give hope to it’s member by starting fresh , enrolling the new thinkers of its rank and file and replacing the old guard who are devoid of grasping the new realities of Armenia and Armenian

    Garnik Torosyan

    Reply
  4. joe says:
    2 years ago

    Pashinyan’s COVID response so far is a disaster for Armenia.. Also agree that absolute power corrupts absolutely.. I don’t like where this is going either.. It smells of desperation..

    Reply
  5. Barséghian Ardachèce says:
    2 years ago

    To live in the country for 29 years, for having served various projects and various circumstances, to have seen the populations tyrannized by the mafia system imposes under two presidents with whom our Party has collaborated in an outrageous way, punishes the elections to 97%, I affirm that this change of regime that has driven out these leaders without faith, nor law besides the dollar God , calls it a “Velvet Revolution”, brings, I confirm with almost total citizens of the country, a small steps, THE DEMOCRATIE, with the total freedom to think to express themselves to publish to the point where the former mafia who possess colossal fortunes stemming from national plunder, corruption, crime having created “Parties” represented in the National Assembly. From this political “revolution” our Party has been swept away 97% and finds nothing better to associate, again, with a mobster and his Party to aim for the destabilization of the country in times of war. How do you describe these methods and individuals who have been weaning for 30 years whose sole purpose is to conquer power by all means most unworthy of the ideas of our Party, scorned, insulted. This organization that adopted the methods of these corrupt mobsters consider themselves to be the representatives of a “Supreme Council” “Keragouin Marmin”? I am ashamed and yet I am active for 29 years having adopted with firmness, rigor, this spirit, these ideas in the service of the “Mechag, Panvor”

    Reply
  6. Ari says:
    2 years ago

    The old Soviet era judges must go! Armenia is in need of impartial justice free from corrupt politics of the past.

    Reply
  7. Asbed Pogarian says:
    2 years ago

    Mr. Sosikian, what democracy are you talking about? Don’t tell me you consider the ‘thing’ we had before the Velvet Revolution a democracy. Who are you trying to fool? I would really like to know if you wrote a similar article about the demise of democracy in 2015 or 2018 when Serge Sargsyan and his gang of thieves were rewriting the laws to further their interests. And now you using that bastardized ‘constitution’ to criticize Pashinyan for clearing the corrupt system is pathetic. Then you go on and close your article with noble-sounding world like “(the ARF) has placed the resources of its global infrastructure at the service of the Armenian people and republic.” I guess you consider getting in bed with Serge Sargsyan’s regime DESPITE the warnings of smart and seasoned Dashnagtsagans (whom you now consider traitors) as service to the Armenian people. As a past AYF-agan and current supporter of the ANC, I am saddened by the poll numbers that just came out from the CRRC showing ARF’s approval rating in Armenia to be only 1%. That should make you pause and wonder. Serge Sargsyan’s rejected Republican Party also got 1%, and that’s pretty telling. It means that in the eyes of the Armenian people, the ARF has sank to the level of the Republicans. How pathetic. Maybe your next article should explore the reasons why. That will be a much better service to the Armenian nation and Republic.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Russia Again Blames Azerbaijan for Ceasefire Violation

In Response to Lavrov, Yerevan Says it Voiced Concerns about Russian Peacekeepers in 2021

20 hours ago
U.S. Wants to Assist Armenia in Reforms

Blinken Discusses Karabakh with Pashinyan, Aliyev

20 hours ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • www.asbarez.com
    • August 6, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to