Ruling MP says Armenia President could face impeachmentMarch 1, 2021 - 12:17 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Lawmaker Vahagn Hovakimyan from the ruling My Step bloc has announced that Armenian President Armen Sarkissian could be facing impeachment. The announcement came immediately after Sarkissian decided to not sign the draft decree submitted by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the dismissal of the Chief of the Army General Staff Onik Gasparyan, and return the proposal to the head of government with objections. According to Hovakimyan, "at first glance" it may seem that Sarkissian has only used his constitutional authority by returning the draft decree on the dismissal of the Chief of General Staff to the Prime Minister. However, he added, the President cannot arbitrarily return drafts to the person or agency that has submitted them. "Specifically in this situation, the Prime Minister, within his powers (Article 155 of the Constitution), has proposed to dismiss the Chief of the General Staff. Even a person with the most mystical imagination cannot see any anti-constitutional elements in this process. In reality, we are dealing with the arbitrary execution of his powers by the President," Hovakimyan wrote on Facebook. The MP believes that such approaches can threaten state security and lead to the destabilization of the situation in the country. “Therefore, we can state there are obvious grounds for starting impeachment procedures against the President on the basis of a gross violation of the Constitution (Article 141),” Hovakimyan added. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |