YEREVAN. – According to some information, President Armen Sarkissian is not going to sign the controversial bill which the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia (RA NA) passed recently, according to Hraparak (Square) newspaper.

“In a close circle, he called it ‘backward,’ and he is going to make use of the 21-day period defined by law and send it to the CC [Constitutional Court], which can consider its constitutionality—within 3 months.

“The information publicized on the president’s website also attests to this intention: ‘The President [of Armenia] has spoken on phone with [Prime Minister] Nicol Pashinian and [Speaker of the National Assembly] Ara Babloyan and discussed [with them] the existing situation. He [the President] will refer to the draft law [on the Amendment to the RA Constitutional Law on the Statute of the National Assembly] immediately after his return to [capital city] Yerevan, and will initiate consultations with the leadership of the Government and NA. The President urges to remain calm and tolerant towards each other and is confident that the existing situation can and must be settled in the framework of the Constitution and laws through negotiations and dialogue,’” Hraparak wrote.

As reported earlier, the NA on Tuesday passed the controversial bill on making amendments to the Constitutional Law on the Statute of the National Assembly. But as per Prime Minister Pashinyan and the NA “Way Out” (Yelk) Faction, this proposed law will enable to prevent the holding of a snap parliamentary election once the PM resigns from office.