Minister doesn’t rule out President Sargsyan becoming PM

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Minister - Chief of Government Staff said he does not rule out the possibility of President Serzh Sargsyan becoming the Prime Minister.

“If the ruling Republican Party enjoys majority in the parliament, it will form its own government,” Davit Harutyunyan said in an interview with Al+. In case Serzh Sargsyan becomes the Prime Minister, he will control key levers of power.”

“I believe the authorities will do their best to have their own candidate as President, but even if an opposition runner wins, they will be deprived of the executive power’s levers. We will have something like the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin-President Dmitry Medvedev situation,” Harutyunyan noted.

The referendum on the constitutional amendment is set for December 6.

President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree setting December 6, 2015 as the date for the referendum on constitutional reforms in Armenia.

According to the draft Constitution, the President is elected for 7 years instead of the current 5 and can only serve one term. The President should be a permanent resident of Armenia during the previous 7 years, instead of the current 10. The amendments ban the President from affiliation with a political party. Article 125 of the draft Constitution sets the procedure of a presidential election. The President shall be elected by an assembly consisting of an equal number of Armenian parliament members and representatives of local government bodies, appointed by municipalities themselves. The Prime Minister will become the supreme commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces during the period of military operations. He is appointed by the President, who, in particular, confirms the candidate nominated by the political force that won the National Assembly elections. No more than 18 ministries can be formed.