Blurred historical memory and family values: Armenian authorities`  vision of new Constitution

ArmInfo. Blurred historical memory, family values, and the inability to independently determine one's destiny: this is how the Armenian authorities possibly see the new Constitution of Armenia.

Yesterday evening, the Armenian segment of social media was stirred  by a leaked draft of the new Constitution of Armenia. The new version  of the Constitution was leaked to the website "Ishkhanutyun." In the  text published by the website, lines added to the current  Constitution are highlighted in red, while those deleted from the  current Constitution are crossed out.

The source writes that the amendments to the Constitution of Armenia  threaten the fundamental values of the Armenian people: history, the  institution of family, ties to the diaspora, and the priority of  being an Armenian in Armenia. But the funniest thing is that the  amended Constitution, which undermines the state's value system, is  presented in the attractive packaging of "European values."

According to the published text of the Constitution, the authenticity  of which, unfortunately, cannot be verified, the preamble erases  historical memory-there is not even a mention of the Declaration of  Independence, while the current Constitution is based on the  Declaration of Independence. The declaration stated: "The Armenian  people, taking as their basis the fundamental principles of Armenian  statehood and the national goals enshrined in the Declaration of  Independence of Armenia, fulfilling the sacred Testament of their  freedom-loving ancestors to restore a sovereign state... adopt the  Constitution of the Republic of Armenia." "This reference was removed  from the text of the new Constitution and replaced with the following  lines: 'The people of the Republic of Armenia, guided by the goals of  preserving the independence, sovereignty, and continuity of the  statehood of the Republic of Armenia, protecting human rights and  freedoms, strengthening a democratic and legal state, ensuring the  security of the people and promoting the general welfare, as well as  striving to inherit a peaceful, secure, and prosperous homeland for  future generations, adopt the Constitution of the Republic of  Armenia.'

The source recalls that the removal of the Declaration of  Independence from the Armenian Constitution was demanded by Aliyev,  as it mentioned Artsakh and spoke of the restoration of the  historical homeland.

"Clause 2 of Article 35, which stated that women and men have equal  rights in marriage, during marriage, and in divorce, has been  excluded from the new Constitution. The change to this article  implies that the traditional model of the Armenian family is being  changed and that a union of same-sex people can also be considered a  family.

Article 36, which defines the rights and responsibilities of parents,  was amended so that children are no longer obligated to care for  their elderly parents. Clause 3 of this article stated: "Adult  persons of working age are obligated to care for their incapacitated  and needy parents. Details shall be established by law." This clause  has been completely removed.

According to the new Constitution, ethnic Armenians can no longer  obtain citizenship of the Republic of Armenia through a simplified  procedure. Clauses 2, 3, and 4 of Article 47, which define the right  to citizenship of the Republic of Armenia, have been completely  removed. This means that our Diaspora Armenians can no longer become  citizens of the Republic of Armenia through a simplified procedure,"  the authors write.

It is noted that, among other things, Article 113, which gave members  of parliament the right to submit written inquiries to members of the  government, including the Prime Minister, in other words, to demand  transparency and accountability, has been completely removed from the  Constitution. With the new Constitution, parliamentary oversight is  weakening, and the political system appears to be becoming  "monarchical." The goal is simple: to prevent the opposition from  influencing the government, and to give the Prime Minister complete  freedom of action.

"One of the most important articles of the Constitution of the  Republic of Armenia, Article 205, has been amended in such a way that  the Armenian people will no longer be able to control the fate of  their country.  The Constitution, drafted by the ruling power, allows  the government and the National Assembly to determine the country's  membership in international organizations without a referendum." The  transitional provision of the new Constitution allows that if Armenia  became a member of an international organization before 2015, the  suspension or revocation of membership in that organization can only  be decided through the National Assembly, without a referendum.

This circumstance poses a particularly serious problem in the case of  membership in the EAEU, since Armenia already joined that  organization in 2015 in accordance with the previous Constitution,"  the source writes.

It should be noted that days earlier, Armenian Justice Minister  Srbuhi Galyan announced that work on the new Constitution of Armenia  had been completed and that the document would soon be discussed by  the ruling party, the Civil Contract Party. She also assured that the  issue of the Declaration of Independence had not yet been discussed.

It is important to note that, according to the current Constitution,  the preamble to the country's main law is sacrosanct and cannot be  amended.