The position of the Supreme Commander is not available in the suggested parliamentary system of government, which is a result of long discussions and a well-thought approach, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said in response to the question whether it is not risky not to have a Supreme Commander in time of peace.
"If the Constitutional amendments are passed at the referendum, the executive power will be centralized in the government and I think giving the prime minister the powers of the Supreme Commander is risky in peace time too. Why? The point is that when one speaks of the Supreme Commander, he implies use of troops by the Supreme Commander. When can we use troops in peace conditions?" Serzh Sargsyan said. In this light, he said, giving one person so may powers and the right to use troops in peace conditions is very dangerous.
Sargsyan said there is a military inspectorate at the president. It conducts regular and extraordinary inspections at troops and this inspectorate may operate at the government too. The president said as Supreme Commander he visits army units several times a year of various occasions.
"Which one of these functions can the prime minister fulfill? Defense Minister is a member of the government. That is, he can say that he will no longer make reports, can't he? This means that the government will fall apart. The Supreme Commanded is needed to ensure the combat efficiency of troops in peacetime and mobilize the resources in case war. If all the resources are under management of the government, who will ensure the implementation of that function? The one who is constitutionally charged with management of the activity of the government agencies or the one who governs them," the president said adding that the Constitution is amended to distribute the responsibilities and rights.
Sagrsyan did not rule out that in case Armenia was a presidential country, he would not initiate the Constitutional Reform, given the difference of the privileges of the parliamentary and presidential systems of government. In this light, he said, a presidential system of government is good in case of war, but a parliamentary system is not unviable either. Sargsyan is sure that the semi-presidential system of government is what unviable.
In response to the question about too many powers given to the prime minister, Sargsyan said the idea many and few are relative. "If there responsibility is high, why the powers should be few?" he asked rhetorically.
The president said the amendments will ensure a strong executive power and opposition with more powers for balancing.