But did the authorities notice that their own role in Nikol appearing on the streets was immense? This is ultimately about that same Nikol who received the greatest criticism from his own opposition partners in recent years, first as someone who did not enter the No camp of the Constitutional reforms and instead concentrated on setting up an “institutional opposition,” and then as someone who did not take to the streets after the 2017 parliamentary elections, recognizing the election results, although many outlandish and perhaps even systemic irregularities revealed by their own efforts as well as by those of others were never properly investigated by the system (such as the so-called “zibileaks,”[3] the SAS Artak case, the case of the school principals, and others).[4] This is about a representative of that same political force who, in spite of all this, went to parliament, where the majority very quickly reduced the number of standing committees by a quarter in order to deprive that political force of the opportunity of heading one of them. Finally, this is the same Nikol who was physically attacked by another MP, the issue not even being given a hearing by the ethics committee.

As is evident, the decision-makers at the very least failed, if not outright defrauded the principles found in the concept paper of Constitutional reforms and propagated everywhere that the parliament in general and the parliamentary opposition in particular would have the opportunity for oversight, thereby also allowing for effective functioning. I do not think it is unnecessary to add that it was often the very same individuals who publicly declared the importance of those principles and who were the main actors in hindering their fulfillment.

Similarly, and with more far-reaching consequences, the philosophy and spirit of the proportional voting system has been defrauded, which is the main reason for the rift between the public mood and the arrangement of political forces in parliament, therefore also the main reason for this current crisis. Although the public is glued to the events changing by the hour, it is no less important to discuss a certain productive mechanism through which it would be possible to render formal institutions more inclusive and democratic.