(Saturday, November 11)
“Zhamanak” comments on the Friday ruling by Armenia’s Constitutional Court that declared unconstitutional a legal provision that has enabled pro-government forces to overcome a yearlong boycott of Vanadzor’s municipal council by its majority representing opposition parties. Acknowledging that the decision made in favor of the opposition is politically important, albeit on a local scale, the paper gibes at the part of the ruling under which the legal provision in question will remain in force until March 31, 2018. “It turns out that until the law is recognized unconstitutional acting under it amounts to acting according to law,” it says.
The editor of “Aravot” blames the atmosphere of mistrust in society for the skepticism regarding the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the Vanadzor municipal council’s work: “When the Constitutional Court makes a decision against the opposition, it is called a puppet acting under dictates from the president’s office, but when the same Court rules in favor of the opposition, the conclusion is that it was arranged that in this matter a concession would be made to the opposition. In conditions of the total mistrust people can believe anything. It only has to fit a limited philistine way of thinking.”
“Zhoghovurd” sees a growing opposition in Karabakh to a possible compromise in the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations on the settlement of the protracted conflict. It reminds its readers of President Serzh Sarkisian’s recent admission that a compromise would be painful to both sides in the conflict. In this context, it quotes the Friday statement by speaker of Nagorno-Karabakh’s parliament Ashot Ghulian, who said in Yerevan that it is yet early to talk about a compromise. “Essentially, the top Karabakh lawmaker openly challenges Sarkisian’s statements,” the paper writes, concluding: “In fact, the Karabakh side is again toughening its position.”
“Hayots Ashkhar” implies that students participating in continuing protests against a controversial legislation restricting their right to draft deferments are showing an unconstructive position. It reminds its readers that on Thursday a group of protesting students was received by Prime Minister Karen Karapetian and that the country’s defense minister and education minister also attended that meeting. “Interestingly, during the meeting the prime minister and the defense minister stressed that the new legislation necessitates about 70 decisions of the government and suggested that the students get involved in the group tasked with drafting the decisions so that they can present their proposals and approaches. The protesting students did not accept this offer. A question arises: why?”
(Tigran Avetisian)