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Armenian President Resigns Saying Constitution Doesn’t Give Him Enough Influence

Armenia's President Armen Sarkissian speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 2, 2021. (Reuters)
Armenia's President Armen Sarkissian speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 2, 2021. (Reuters)
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Armenian President Resigns Saying Constitution Doesn’t Give Him Enough Influence

Armenia's President Armen Sarkissian speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 2, 2021. (Reuters)
Armenia's President Armen Sarkissian speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 2, 2021. (Reuters)

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian tendered his resignation on Sunday, saying he believes the country's constitution does not give him sufficient powers to influence events.

Sarkissian, president since 2018, was in a standoff with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan last year over a number of issues, including the dismissal of the head of the armed forces.

The role of prime minister is seen as more powerful than that of president.

"I have been thinking for a long time, I have decided to resign from the post of the President of the Republic after working actively for about four years," Sarkissian said in a statement published on the president's official website.

"The question may arise as to why the President failed to influence the political events that led us to the current national crisis. The reason is obvious again - the lack of appropriate tools ... - the Constitution. The roots of some of our potential problems are hidden in the current Basic Law."

At a referendum in December 2015, Armenia became a parliamentary republic, while presidential powers were significantly curtailed.

Sarkissian in his statement did not refer directly to any particular events or issues.

Armenia agreed a ceasefire with Azerbaijan last November at their border, after Russia urged them to step back from confrontation following the deadliest clash since a six-week war in 2020 when Moscow also brokered a peace deal to end the hostilities.

Prime Minister Pashinyan has since been under pressure, with regular street protests demanding he step down over the terms of the peace agreement. Under the 2020 deal brokered by Russia, Azerbaijan regained control of territory it had lost during a war in the early 1990s.

Armenia seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991 but remains dependent on Russia for aid and investment. Many Armenians accuse the government of corruption and mishandling an economy that has struggled to overcome the legacy of central planning.

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Prominent Israeli Figures Say War with Iran Must Stop

Israeli soldiers search through the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central Israel, on Sunday. (Associated Press) 
Israeli soldiers search through the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central Israel, on Sunday. (Associated Press) 
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Prominent Israeli Figures Say War with Iran Must Stop

Israeli soldiers search through the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central Israel, on Sunday. (Associated Press) 
Israeli soldiers search through the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central Israel, on Sunday. (Associated Press) 

While most Israelis, including Jewish opposition parties, have been supporting the government of Benjamin Netanyahu in its war on Iran, other senior figures have warned against the continued fighting and demanded to end the battle instead of asking the United States to join.

One of these prominent figures is former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who held several important official positions, including Defense Minister, Interior Minister and Foreign Minister, in addition to the Israeli Army’s Chief of Staff.

In an opinion published in Haaretz newspaper, Barak said, “If the hope that the Israeli strikes will return the Iranians to the negotiating table is realized, great. But if not, the only way for even the United States to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons will be to declare war against the regime itself until it is brought down. Israel cannot do that alone. And I do not believe that Trump will join such a campaign”.

He wrote that if the US joins the war, “We may even accelerate the process: Iran could decide on a breakout, arguing that the aggression of Israel constitutes an existential threat and leaves it with no option but to produce enough weapons-grade highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon”.

Barak described as “euphoric” the atmosphere in the street, in news broadcasts and in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration that the Iranian nuclear threat has been lifted. He said the assumption is premature and far from reality.

He then praised the Israeli army’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who rightly remarked that the Israelis “must maintain humility and a calibrated connection to reality.”

“We indeed face a long, grave and painful test that we must all be willing to bear. But we must demand from our leaders prudence and responsibility in managing it,” the former PM wrote.

He said that when in 2018, Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement, at Israel's urging, Iran was about 18 months away from a nuclear weapon.

“We struck the physical facilities of its nuclear program and will strike additional facilities and capabilities. But we did not and will not delay, by more than a few weeks, its ability to obtain nuclear weapons: They already have fissile material for about 10 bombs and the knowledge to build them,” Barak said.

He also noted that the next generation of facilities has already been built, 800 meters underground.

Meanwhile, in its editorial, Haaretz warned on Sunday that Israel must avoid an all-out, destructive war of attrition with Iran.

“Israel must decide what constitutes a sufficient diplomatic achievement. For now, the strategic objective is not the overthrow of the Iranian regime, but the safeguarding of Israel's security,” the newspaper wrote.

It added that, “It's important to remember that, in the background, the painful war in Gaza continues, hostages rot in Hamas' captivity and the humanitarian crisis grows more severe.”

According to the newspaper, “Operational successes aren't a goal in themselves.”

It wrote, “They must be translated into a diplomatic move that would find a solution to the Iranian nuclear threat while avoiding a slide into an all-out, destructive and prolonged war.”

The newspaper also noted that Iran still possesses military capacities and can expand the conflict into a regional escalation.

On Saturday night, family members of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have expressed fears after Israel launched airstrikes against Iran early Friday, which led to the shifting of public attention from the war in Gaza.

Around 1,000 family members joined a Zoom rally on Saturday night, which was held instead of the usual rallies held for the hostages across the country on Saturday night because gatherings were not permitted due to the security situation.