YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Parliament member Armen Rustamian (ARF)–urged students at Yerevan’s Linguistic University to head to polling stations on November 27–to vote on the proposed constitutional amendmen’s.
"By voting for the proposed amendmen’s–people will have the real opportunity to get involved in the process of power formation; by rejecting it–they will endorse their current situation," Rustamian stressed–arguing that the constitutional amendmen’s should not be viewed as a struggle between the government and the opposition.
"When the country’s development and prosperity are at stake–we have to push aside our personal ambitions and stand by proposed changes," he said. He described the referendum as a "crucial day for the country," and a chance at further integration into Europe.
The Council of Europe–the European Union–and the United States also support the proposed changes. European and US diplomats have urged Armenia’s to vote for the amendmen’s–saying that they would speed up the country’s democratization and European integration.
Rustamian–who heads the Armenian Parliament’s foreign relations permanent commission–also argued that the revised constitution would ensure greater separation of power between the branches of government. Thus it would enable the country to more effectively tackle its shadow economy.
He downplayed fears that lifting the ban on dual citizenship–which the amendmen’s propose–would allow Armenia’s in the diaspora to participate in Armenian elections–saying that dual citizenship would have its limitations–as determined by a clear-cut law.
