Chakhoyan linked the opposition protests against the new Constitution to the case of Samvel Karapetyan

ArmInfo. Taron Chakhoyan, a member of the Armenian parliament from the ruling Civil Contract faction, linked the opposition's protests against the new Constitution to the accusations leveled against Strong Armenia party leader Samvel Karapetyan regarding the activities of Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) CJSC. The MP expressed this view in a conversation with journalists in parliament.

Overall, in his opinion, the opposition's actions against the adoption of the new Constitution appear "ridiculous," given that they have not yet read the text of the document. "Let them at least wait for the publication of the text of the new Constitution before they begin to fight against it," the MP stated.

Chakhoyan also called the opposition's claims that the new Constitution was dictated by Azerbaijan frivolous. In his opinion, the opposition, by citing Azerbaijan and Ilham Aliyev, is trying to conceal "its own thefts." In this regard, the MP recalled how opposition representatives had previously warned about the "return of 300,000 Azerbaijanis to Armenia." "And where are they? Why don't you ask the opposition where these Azerbaijanis are?" Chakhoyan asked, omitting the fact that the Azerbaijani authorities have repeatedly stated their intention to "return 300,000 Azerbaijanis to their homeland" in Armenia. He then recalled that in order to submit the draft new Constitution to a referendum, the ruling party needs to secure the support of six more opposition MPs. In this regard, he wondered why the opposition is taking to the streets and holding informational campaigns if it is confident that it will not vote for submitting the draft Constitution to a referendum? "It's simply illogical." "What are they fighting against then?" the ruling faction MP noted.

In conclusion, he expressed skepticism about the opposition's statement about consolidation, noting that they are talking about forces that have tried this before. "We've seen all this before; they lost politically. This consolidation will only accelerate the collapse of 'Strong Armenia,'" Chakhoyan concluded.

As a reminder, the draft of Armenia's new Constitution has not yet been officially published. Initially, the authorities promised to publish the draft constitution before the parliamentary elections, but then the deadline was repeatedly pushed back, and now the deadline is November or December. According to statements, the new constitution will not include a reference to Armenia's Declaration of Independence, given 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 fundamental law.

It should be noted that a national referendum will be required to approve the new Constitution. The decision to appoint a referendum must be made by the National Assembly of Armenia with a vote of at least two-thirds of its members. According to the results of the regular parliamentary elections in Armenia, held on June 7, 2026, the Civil Contract party has a 3/5 majority, which allows it to pass constitutional laws and make appointments. However, the party does not have the 2/3 majority necessary to directly amend the Armenian Constitution. Therefore, to advance this issue, they must gain the support of the opposition.

It should be added that late in the evening of November 4, 13 political forces announced a consolidation of forces in the fight against the current Armenian government.

Armenia's opposition political forces declared a nationwide unification around the following goals: rejection of the imposed "Aliyev constitution," peace without unilateral concessions and territorial losses, protection of national identity and the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church, and restoration of democratic rights and freedoms.