Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Today, opposition MPs from the Armenian National Congress, Dashnaktrutyun, Heritage, and Prosperous Armenia are going to address the Constitutional Court to recognize the law on launching a defined contribution pension system as anti-constitutional.
They are sure that there enough reasons for this, as the law deprives citizens of their right for disposition of property, which means a violation of the Constitution. Along with the address to the court, the MPs prepared a petition on standstill of the law which should begin its operation on January 1st.
According to a deputy from Dashnaktsutyun, Artsvik Minasyan, the socio-economic situation will worsen after launching the defined contribution system: “Today the poverty rate is 35%, i.e. a million of citizens make ends meet with difficulties. It is unacceptable to demand from people to save in such a situation. They have nothing to save!”
But a representative of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, Akop Akopyan, is sure that such estimates encourage citizens to breaking the law: “Nobody has a right to avoid these payments. If citizens don’t pay 5% of their salaries to the contribution fund, they will be punished.”
Launching the defined contribution pension system from January 1st for citizens who are older than 40 id one of disputable topics between the society and the authorities. The power’s position is considered as political obduracy and inadequacy by the society and the opposition.
On November 15th because of the absence of the parliamentary majority a parliamentary session was failed; it was initiated by the opposition and was devoted to discussion of the draft on the new pension reform. On December 4th the same parliamentary majority voted down the opposition draft on postponement of the law for a year.
The protest wave covers more and more social layers. Along with employees in the sphere of information technologies employees of Yerevan State University, the German embassy in Yerevan, several banks, international organizations Orange and TUMO, and other companies expressed a protest against the defined contribution system.
Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan’s office stated on its support of the protest against launching the defined contribution system. His press secretary Naira Karmirshalyan reported that employees of the office found out anti-constitutional norms in the law.
The Public Council under President stands against launching the defined contribution pension system as well. Representatives of parties and social organizations which are involved in it expressed their concerns that the pension reform is aimed at the middle class which is thought to be a fundament of the state. If today representatives of companies and organizations are against launching the law, tomorrow they will migrate. And the draft can lead to a new wave of brain drain.
The authorities have to think how to solve the new problem, one they created for themselves.
