Singer Serj Tankian.
Well known singer and frontman for the rock band System of a Down Serj Tankian shared an article about the upcoming referendum on Constitutional amendments in Armenia, along with a status on his Facebook page:
“A very interesting article below on the government-proposed constitutional reform and referendum on Dec 6th in Armenia. In most cases a pure parliamentary system is preferred in more democratic leaning societies. But in other cases they can lead to more power consolidation by the ruling elite that already have significant majorities in Parliament and can be used as a lever to continue their single party rule.
“The thing to consider are intentions here. This was not a consideration brought forth by the populace of Armenia (who are rightfully overly cynical about the implementation of the rule of law, voter fraud and corruption) but by the ruling elite of the country.”
This is not the first time Serj Tankian is speaking out on political issues regarding Armenia. Known to be critical of President Serzh Sargsyan, the singer regularly shares his opinion with his fans, both on social media and during concerts.
In the past few years, he has used his name to advocate for several issues, from the recognition of the Armenian genocide to environmental causes.
During the System of a Down concert in Yerevan on April 23, Serj Tankian said a few words concerning the current state of affairs in Armenia. Speaking of Russia as a long-term ally to Armenia, he contended that Armenia should meet every government eye-to-eye and warned against becoming a client-state to Russia. While acknowledging that Armenia has come a long way since independence, he also reminded the audience that is was the responsibility of the government of Armenia to create an egalitarian civic society, to get rid of institutional injustices and stop the depopulation of the country.
A referendum for the proposed Constitutional amendments will take place on December 6, 2015.
