ANC Deputy Chairman: Under the guise of the idea of creating a Fourth Republic, an attempt is being made to abandon the principle of historical continuity

ArmInfo. Under the guise of the idea of creating a Fourth Republic, an attempt is being made to erase the history associated with the continuous existence of the Republic of Armenia. This opinion was expressed by Levon Zurabyan, Deputy Chairman of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) party, at a briefing with journalists on November 9 following a meeting of the opposition coalition with lawyers.

The meeting was organized against the backdrop of the Armenian authorities' attempts to adopt a new Constitution under external pressure. According to Zurabyan, dialogue with lawyers plays an important role in the opposition's work in this context. Since, as the ANC Deputy Chairman noted, political goals have already been formulated, it is also necessary to understand the legal arguments with which the authorities are attempting to justify the adoption of the new Constitution.

"Our task is to respond to these arguments. Currently, an attempt is being made to create the impression in society that the opposition, without having read the text of the Constitution, is opposing amendments that violate international norms. "This is all a lie. In fact, there is no justification for constitutional reform. The reference to the Declaration of Independence, which the authorities want to exclude, does not refer to its entire text, but concerns specific principles enshrined in the document. And there is no problem with this. And the allegations that it allegedly contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan are groundless," Zurabyan emphasized.

According to him, the proposed constitutional amendments do not resolve existing contradictions, but, on the contrary, are aimed solely at strengthening the influence of the Ilham Aliyev regime in Armenia. "What is happening effectively amounts to a rejection of the political and legal foundations of Armenian statehood and the principle of the historical continuity of the state. Under the guise of the idea of creating a Fourth Republic, an attempt is being made to erase the history associated with the continuity of the Republic of Armenia." "All this will only strengthen Aliyev's position in Armenia and will lead to a peace treaty being signed not between two equal states, but with Armenia as a vassal state, whose internal issues will have to be coordinated with Aliyev," the ANC deputy chairman emphasized.

According to him, the need to debunk such arguments was one of the main topics of the discussion with lawyers. "I am confident that the results of this work will soon be evident. We are faced with the task of achieving victory in the legal arena, and we will achieve it," Zurabyan emphasized.

At the same time, he urged against counting on quick results. As the politician explained, various political forces are participating in the consolidation of opposition forces, each with its own vision for the future struggle and its own methods of operation. "To unite and effectively utilize this potential, serious organizational work is necessary, which is what the participants in the process are currently focusing on." "Furthermore, extensive work remains to be done in the regions," the politician said.

It should be noted that the draft of the new Constitution of Armenia has not yet been officially published. Initially, the authorities promised to publish the draft constitution before the parliamentary elections, but the deadline was repeatedly postponed, and now the deadline is November or December. According to statements, the new constitution will not include references to the Declaration of Independence of Armenia, despite the fact that the preamble to the constitution is inviolable and cannot be amended or deleted. The opposition accuses the Armenian authorities of complying with Azerbaijan's demands and has repeatedly emphasized that it will not support the process of amending the country's constitution.

It should be noted that a national referendum will be required to approve the new constitution, and the decision to hold it must be made by the National Assembly of Armenia with a vote of at least two-thirds of the deputies. Following the June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections in Armenia, the Civil Contract Party has a 3/5 majority, which allows it to pass constitutional laws and make appointments. However, the party lacks the 2/3 majority necessary to directly amend the Armenian Constitution. Therefore, to advance this issue, they must gain the support of the opposition.