If we were not aware of the activity of the existing deputies of the parliament, we would think that these ones differ since they don’t make opinions until they don’t see the corresponding documents.
However, it is clear that this new “working method” is conditioned by the fact that they have been directed not to speak out their opinions even if they correspond with those of the government until they are not told to do so. The small number of MPs, who are still independent and can speak their views, have the same opinion concerning the deputies. According to one of such independent deputies, those deputies, who perform such “carefulness”, are not careful, but they don’t know yet what kind of policy their party leaders would prefer and whether they have a right to speak opinions in Media even though such opinions may correspond with those of their leaders.
The deadline for proposing a candidate by the president for the position of Armenia’s Supervisory Commission, which has a number of strong powers, is this week. According to our information, Robert Kocharyan cannot make a final decision whom to appoint in that position with large powers. It is said that till now Kocharyan was trying to make a choice between the head of the state taxation department Felix Tsolakyan and PA member NA vice speaker Ishkhan Zakaryan. However, yesterday the president made a final decision to appoint Ishkhan Zakaryan in that position and in the morning called him to the president’s office to inform him about his choice. After their meeting, which lasted a half hour, the president ordered to prepare an order and instruct the NA hold a special session on Friday to discuss the issue of appointing the head of Armenia’s Supervisory Commission.
Yesterday we tried to get information from deputies concerning the president’s decision and whether they think that Ishkhan Zakharyan is a person, who can manage that institution efficiently, however, they refused to answer and said: “Who said that the position will be assigned to Ishkhan? We haven’t been told such thing”, “As far as I know Tsolakyan will be given that position. Should I believe my information or yours? We will speak about our point as soon as we receive the letter”.
We asked “Heritage” party representative deputy Larisa Alaverdyan whether Ishkhan Zakharyan will be able to fulfill the responsibilities of the head of the mentioned supervisory commission, which has been given a great number of powers and rights. Answering to this question she said, “The problem is that I have not seen any political will or good performance on Zakharyan’s part. I know him just as a vice speaker and I can say that he has been behaving himself very good. He is very law-abiding and people respect him due to this nature. However, for the position he wants he will need a good performance of political will and stance. That is why I will wait to see what the life shows. I wish him success”. Larisa Alaverdyan promised to ask about Zakharyan’s political and civil will during Zakharyan’s meeting with NA factions.
Yesterday we also talked to the existing head of the parliamentary supervisory commission Gagik Voskanyan. To our question whether Ishkhan Zakharyan would be able to manage that institution and what merits a person should have in order to manage effectively he answered, “If he has been nominated, he can. Ishkhan Zakharyan has a great experience. He has passed a way, he has been a deputy, minister, deputy minister. The supervisory commission head’s position is a political position and it is not obligatory to handle financial matters only. He has to be able to meet the challenges in that position and I think that basing on the way he has crossed he can manage effectively”.
By the way, the latter does not know yet what he will do after Mr. Zakharyan is appointed as the head of the Supervisory Commission. “We will see, I will do something,” he said.
Yesterday the MPs were also discussing the issue who will be given the vice speaker’s position after Ishkhan Zakharyan gets a new position. MPs think that this position is due to a pensioner, who does not have much “passion” to work. As the mentioned position is assigned to PA under the coalition memorandum, thus this position will be assigned to a member of the PA faction. Yesterday there were rumors that the potential candidate was the head of the NA standing commission on European integration policies, however our sources say that this position might be given to deputy of the same faction and the head of the standing commission on Human rights and public issues, Arevik Petrosyan, who has been negotiating with the government powers for about one month to get their “consent”. People say that she has brought several reasons why she would look better in that position, one of which is that the international institutions will be happy to see that the vice speaker of the Armenian parliament is a woman. According to our information, the mentioned reasoning has been accepted by the authorities and she will be elected NA vice speaker soon.