Aram Orbelyan - Legality of Armenian Territorial Handovers to Azerbaijan, Triggering Parliamentary Elections Through Opposition Resignations | Ep 340 - June 23, 2024 [EP340]

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Guest:

• Aram Orbelyan

Topics:

• Unconstitutional “Delimitation” Process
• Could the Opposition Trigger New Elections?

Episode 340 | Recorded: June 21, 2024

Show Notes

Legal & Constitutional Issues in Armenian Politics

Unconstitutional “Delimitation” Process

• Kirants residents, in Tavush, are being told to quit their claim to their property and other “non-land” rights.
• They’re being offered huge sums of money (according to Bagrat Srbazan, they’re being offered compensation of $50K for a property that is worth $1K)
• Eminent Domain is not being used.

Questions:

• Is this process legal and constitutional?
• Pashinyan administration members say that these lands are not Armenia and there has been a mistake made by the Cadastre. Does this set a precedent where, one day Armenia’s cadastre committee could say that they realized that all those property rights south of Lake Sevan were issued by mistake, due to the Treaty of Alexandropol. Is this a correct analogy with what’s happening to the dispossessed residents of Kirants, in Tavush?

Could the Opposition Trigger New Elections?

Over the past few months the “idea” has been circulated from certain sectors that the parliamentary opposition should give up their mandates, and thus trigger a constitutional crisis in Armenia, leading to new elections.

Both of the parliamentary opposition alliances have rejected this.

Questions:

• Especially considering that the ruling party has a super-majority in the parliament, does the argument hold water that a “mass resignation” by the opposition would trigger a “constitutional crisis” and lead to new elections?

Wrap-up

All right, that’s our show, we hope you found it useful. Please find us on Social Media and follow us everywhere you get your Armenian news, the links are in the show notes.

Thanks to Laura Osborn for the music on our podcasts. We’ll talk to you soon!

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