What was definite then is not expedient now

In recent days, the National Assembly has been actively debating the draft package on government structure and activity, which suggests reducing the number of ministries from 17 to 12.

Some opposition MPs opposing this bill point to the fact that the provisions on giving the National Security Service and the Police the status of ministries are not included in the draft. The ruling elite had previously repeatedly stated about it.

In response to Arman Babajanyan’s question from the opposition Luys faction regarding idea the government was guided by when making the redistribution of powers and responsibilities of the new ministers, Artak Zeynalyan said that they were guided by convictions, feelings, intuition, experience, as well as previously conducted monitoring and needs assessment.

Lilit Makunts, leader of the ruling “My Step” faction, stated that politicization of power structures is not expedient. “This is not related to the expansion of the National Assembly control instruments. No government in the world brings in a draft that will make its powers more controllable. And we do not find it expedient to make law enforcement structures political structures at this moment.” Makunts said

It should be reminded, however, that on May 1, 2018, candidate for Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, claimed that the current system of government is not really parliamentary, as is fixed by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, but rather super-prime-ministerial, and proposed to make the Police and the National Security Service ministries as a solution to the problem. “It is obvious that the Police and the National Security Service should change their status and become ministries” Pashinyan stated.

Thus, it turns out that the ruling party has radically changed its position on the “super-prime minister” system and does not think that the Police and the National Security Service should be ministries and be accountable to the parliament.

Sevada Ghazaryan