Armenia faction leader Pashinyan: No amount of pressure will change the opposition`s position on the new Constitution

ArmInfo. No pressure will change the position of the opposition political forces on the adoption of the new Constitution of Armenia. This is how Anna Grigoryan, head of the Armenia parliamentary faction, commented on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement that if the parliamentary opposition opposes the adoption of the new Constitution, the ruling majority will begin to generate public pressure.

The head of the opposition faction noted in this regard that they are not hearing such statements for the first time. "I would like to emphasize, however, that every MP is guided by their own conscience and convictions, as well as the mandate they received from the people. I remind you once again: by granting us a mandate, the people of Armenia did not authorize us to adopt the 'Aliyev Constitution.' Therefore, no pressure will change our position on this issue. With such statements, they only provoke illegal actions. "Moreover, if the intention behind this is to provoke civil clashes, then that speaks volumes," Grigoryan said in a conversation with journalists within the walls of the Armenian legislature.

She assured that their political force intends to do everything possible to prevent such a development. Reacting to Pashinyan's statement about his intention to repeat the events of 2018 (the "velvet revolution" after which Pashinyan came to power - ed.), the faction leader noted that the Pashinyan of 2018 is different. "Yes, today he has administrative resources, but he clearly overestimates his own capabilities, declaring that the people will come out against the opposition. In the current situation, it is the opposition that must hold discussions and determine what its first step will be. In 2018, 100,000 people took to the streets at Pashinyan's call." "Today the situation is completely different," Grigoryan stated.

The opposition leader also emphasized that the Armenian authorities will need to achieve an unprecedented consensus in parliament to secure a two-thirds majority to put the issue of a new constitution to a referendum. "The 150,000 people who voted for us supported us, in part, because we oppose the implementation of Pashinyan and Aliyev's program. Therefore, our political task is to prevent this issue from being put to a referendum. It is no coincidence that the Constitution stipulates that political forces must first assess the situation. If such a preliminary filter exists, then it is of fundamental importance: political forces must also formulate and express their own position on this issue. Moreover, we are not naive and have seen how the parliamentary elections were conducted. We understand what statements about peace and war Pashinyan will make. We know how this process will develop." Given the likelihood of pressure and the use of administrative resources, we cannot agree to a procedure whose outcome is predetermined. We will do everything to ensure this issue is not put to a referendum," Grigoryan concluded.

As a reminder, the draft of the new Constitution of Armenia has not yet been officially published. Initially, the authorities promised to publish the draft constitution before the parliamentary elections, but then the deadline was repeatedly postponed; now the deadline is November or December. According to statements, the new constitution will omit references to the Declaration of Independence of Armenia, given that the preamble to the constitution is inviolable and cannot be amended or deleted. The opposition accuses the Armenian authorities of complying with Azerbaijan's demands and has repeatedly emphasized that it will not support the process of amending the country's fundamental law.

It should be noted that a national referendum will be required to approve the new Constitution. The decision to appoint a new Constitution must be made by the National Assembly of Armenia with a vote of at least two-thirds of its members. Since, according to the results of the regular parliamentary elections in Armenia held on June 7, 2026, the Civil Contract party has a 3/5 majority, which allows it to pass constitutional laws and make appointments, it does not have the 2/3 majority necessary to directly amend the Armenian Constitution. To advance this issue, they must gain the support of the opposition.