Pashinyan says new constitution needed to fix judicial system

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that the resolution of several outstanding issues in the judiciary is impossible without the adoption of a new constitution.

“I believe that a significant part of the problems in the judicial sector cannot be resolved without adopting a new Constitution,” he said in parliament during debates on the government’s 2025 report on its five-year action plan. “Because this state of inertia and [stagnation] will continue indefinitely. Constitutional regulations are needed so that we can set aside those very artificial constraints and confront the situation in the judicial system,” Pashinyan said.

The Pashinyan administration has initiated constitutional amendments, with work ongoing to develop a draft for a referendum. Speaking in parliament earlier on Wednesday, Pashinyan again called for the adoption of a new constitution, saying that the judiciary and justice systems do not have an “organic connection” with the people.