Armenia: why return to semi-presidential system?

Under a parliamentary system of government Armenia is facing a number of problems that would not have arisen under a semi-presidential system, Armenian Parliament Vice Speaker, MP from the ruling My Step faction Alen Simonyan said at a briefing, commenting on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's proposal to hold a referendum on shifting to a semi-presidential system of government.

"What we often encounter under the parliamentary system of government shows that for our region and in those unions we're in - the CSTO, the EAEU, which are basically "presidential clubs", a semi-presidential system of government can be a more convenient, effective option," Sputnik Armenia cited the politician as saying.

The Vice Speaker called on the Prime Minister's proposal to be discussed.

Simonyan also said that the results of the referendum, held under the instigator of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, former President Serzh Sargsyan, were rigged.

Armenia switched from a semi-presidential system of government to a parliamentary one in 2018, a corresponding referendum was held in 2015.