Discussions of draft amendments to the RA Law on Protection of Economic Competition created favorable conditions for MPs’ new populist statements.

They took advantage of the discussions to make political statements that hardly had anything in common with the document.

The MP Viktor Dallakyan stated that the legislation is acceptable, but the problem is putting it into practice. “Armenian laws are good, but their enforcement is a problem,” he said. Laws are not applied at all or are not applied to “one’s company.” “I do not think some naïve person can be found in Armenia who would dare launch large-scale business activities without being ‘OK’d’ by the authorities. Hardly anyone naïve can be found in Armenia who would think a businessman with opposition views would not be persecuted,” Dallakyan said. Interpenetration of business and politics is of serious threat to the State. “As far back as 2005, a constitutional amendment was introduced prohibiting Parliament members from carrying out business activities. However, this constitutional norm has been ignored,” Dallakyan said. He called for observing it. He explained to Armenian businessmen that their involvement in politics makes them puppets in the authorities’ hands. He also pointed out the existence of political and economic clan systems. “Economic monopolies working in the Armenian market are getting super-profits. Then the funds, as well as grift, are used for political purposes, particularly in election rigging and decision-making. So Armenian economy monopolized by some families, which play a key role in the Armenian political arena, poses a serious threat to the Armenian State,” Dallakyan said. He stressed that the oligarchs get super-profits at the expense of ordinary people.

Artsruni Aghajanyan of Orinats Yerkir (Rule of Law Party) expressed his indignation at the rising inflation in Armenia. “Will the draft amendments help improve the present situation in the market?” he asked.

The draft amendments to the Law on Protection of Economic Competition provides for severer punishment for violating economic competition.

Chairman of the RA Commission for Protection of Economic Competition Artak Shaboyan told journalists that big businessmen are using the numerous loopholes in the present legislation. “In the new bill we made an attempt to close the loopholes,” Shaboyan said.