YEREVAN. – Arayik Tunyan, who is the authorities’ candidate as the Constitutional Court (CC) member, avoids the issue about the pension system. 

Armenia’s opposition Heritage Party National Assembly (NA) Faction Head Ruben Hakobyan stated the above-said on Monday. 

As per Hakobyan, Tunyan had not responded to Hakobyan’s query on his view with respect to the CC ruling on the pension plan and the CC decision on April 2.

Non-pro-government Prosperous Armenia Party NA Faction Secretary Naira Zohrabyan, who had taken the floor after Hakobyan, had stated that the authorities’ candidates tend to be as cautious as possible.

“The [Armenian] authorities need people who will be afraid to even have their own opinion; that’s why you did not give a direct answer to the questions,” Zohrabyan stated.

NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan had nominated Arayik Tunyan to the aforesaid position.

In May, the National Assembly had passed the amendments to the Law on Funded Pensions. Accordingly, the mandatory funded pension deductions from salaries are temporarily suspended. And pursuant to the Constitutional Court’s April 2 decision, the final version of the pension plan must be prepared by no later than September 30. The government, however, plans to carry this out earlier, and by increasing the state salaries by July 1.