"Fact" daily writes:
A new discussion is brewing in the political field of Armenia, the core of which is not only the question of a specific candidate, but the reinterpretation of the entire model of public administration. The author of the initiative is the "Bright Armenia" party, led by Edmon Marukyan, which proposes the candidacy of Archbishop Mikael Ajapachyan for the position of the president of the republic. According to the authors of the initiative, Armenia's society and political system have found themselves in a deep crisis.
The truths formed by the power of tradition have been distorted, the institutions have weakened, the authorities have been devalued, and the public is facing a search for values. In these conditions, they believe, it should not be about cosmetic changes, but systemic transformation.
The experience of recent decades has shown that the concentration of power in Armenia has regularly changed its holders, from the military-political elite to mass leaders, and today the growth of the influence of big capital is already noticeable. However, in all these stages, the key problem remained unchanged: the lack of counterweights and mutual restraint mechanisms, which prevented the formation of a stable and balanced management system.
Against this background, the formation of a strong presidential institution is proposed, which will be able to become a real counterweight to the executive power. According to that idea, the president should have not only constitutional powers, but also public trust and authority, which will make it possible to curb the concentration of power and ensure the natural balance of the system.
The nomination of Archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan is considered in this logic. According to the authors of the initiative, in the current polarized political field there are almost no such figures who can unite the society. Political forces, civil society and cultural circles are divided, and under these conditions, a figure of nationwide importance is needed, which will be able to go beyond the scope of narrow political interests.
At the same time, the initiative has been criticized by circles that question the comparability of secularism and liberal ideas. However, the authors of the proposal claim that such an opposition is superficial.
According to them, liberal values - the free market, the protection of private property and the creative freedom of the individual - can be combined with national and conservative values, forming a balanced ideological base. It is also noted that the reforms implemented with external support were mainly limited to the lower and middle links of the system, not reaching the upper level. The political leadership, as a rule, was left out of the process of self-change, keeping the maximum amount of powers. As a result, a system has been formed where the ability to make quick decisions takes precedence over accountability. The proposed model aims to break this logic by starting the change from the top.
According to the authors of the initiative, the formation of a strong presidential institution can become the mechanism that will restore the separation of powers and create a real system of mutual restraint.
Thus, the subject of discussion is not only the specific candidacy, but the future structure of the state administration of Armenia. This initiative directed at the political forces is also a clear challenge to formulate their position and answer the question of what kind of state Armenia needs in the upcoming stage.
Details in today's issue of "Past" daily.
