Current system of governance not effective for Armenia at present: political technologist

I have always been for strong presidential governance system, as in a country like Armenia which is in semi-war situation many things must be extra-centralized and operative decisions must be made, in the extreme case Armenia needs semi-presidential system but in such case the prime minister again has more authorities than the president, political technologist Vigen Hakobyan told Aysor.am, referring to the ANC proposal to return to semi-presidential governance system.

He said that the acting governance model in the current phase is not effective for Armenia.

“At the same time, the transition into parliamentary governance system is not a regress or progress as it is a relative concept. As if we are returning to the discourses of past years on which governance system is better presidential, semi-presidential or the parliamentary. But I do not think that this debate has a solution. This is really a matter of taste and adaptation,” the interlocutor said.

Hakobyan stressed that with its proposal to return to the semi-presidential governance, the ANC sets new political agenda which hardly coincides with the wishes of the incumbent authorities.

The expert said that the important thing is to understand what issue the change of the governance system solves.

Vigen Hakobyan referred to the Artsakh governance system, describing the presidential model of governance there very effective.

“After the April war a decision was made there to pass from semi-presidential into presidential governance system as the life has shown that in such historic period there is a need of more consolidated system and not a one with mechanisms of complicated balance,” the expert said.

“In Armenia practice has shown that you can be a good political figure but not always an effective executive leader,” Hakobyan concluded.