Deputies have the right to give a political evaluation of the damage that the government caused to the public and the state as a result of its actions and inaction. This is what deputy of the Prosperous Armenia faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Mikayel Melkumyan said during the first session of the parliamentary committee leading a probe into the effectiveness of the measures taken by the Government of Armenia and the Commandant’s Office to counter and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), mitigate or eliminate the consequences of the fight against the coronavirus and the pandemic and the effectiveness and lawfulness of the restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms during state of emergency.

Melkumyan particularly stated that it is necessary to give a specific evaluation. “There is one important thing for us — the problem is the low quality of the public administration system since it was the country’s leadership that spearheaded the fight against the coronavirus. Consequently, the leadership needed to develop mechanisms to prevent and manage the spread of the pandemic and mitigate the consequences,” he added.

According to him, Armenia declared a lockdown on March 13, 2020, but the campaign for the constitutional amendments referendum lasted until March 12, 2020. Moreover, the deputy complained that public rallies were being held until the last day.