The state cannot be called democratic if all groups of the society have no actual participation in the country’s governance processes. Today, to establish an inclusive governance structure, many countries in the world proceed to take measures by adopting relevant laws and establishing committees adjacent to the government. Armenia, which proclaimed itself to be a democratic and social state by the very first article of the Constitution, has no law on inclusiveness. The articles in the Constitution on the discrimination ban (Article 29 of the Constitution) and equality for all (Article 28 of the Constitution) proclaimed by the Constitution, as well as international commitments by Armenia have practically been neglected.

The picture is completed with the lack of the least attention attached to the issue by relevant structures, institutions and the state. This is proved by the reaction to the statement of “If a disabled person suddenly comes to vote, I will personally take him/her in hands and bring him/her to vote” addressed to the head of the polling station commission on the lack of access to the polling station and the lack of adequate conditions for the disabled people during the latest out-of-turn parliamentary elections. What is this if not a mentality at the state level? It turns out that before reaching the issue of the inclusive governance, if the representative of the aforementioned group may take up any position, he/she cannot reach or have an access to his/her workplace because of the lack of suitable conditions for the displacement of the disabled in the country and disadvantages and risks for the available conditions.

The next vulnerable group, poverty, is not perceived by many as vulnerable. However, unfortunately, in the system formed in our country, one can confidently state that poverty is a vulnerable group which, in its turn, makes the state vulnerable combined with the corrupted system. In the conditions of formal equality of people defined by the Constitution everyone is given the right to education. However, in the event of the affordability of education the poor may not be able to benefit from this constitutional right of theirs. As a result, we get an uneducated society unable to use its own right in condition of the lack of education and is deprived of the opportunity to occupy any position, which is a loss of a huge potential for the development of the state.

The poor are vulnerable in the area of the implementation of justice. Even if we set aside an inseparable part of our judicial system, i.e. bribery, it is all the same – in the condition of the best and experienced lawyer who also requires rather much money, the case can be considered “won” for the one who is solvent and lost for the other who did not have enough money to cover the judicial expenses.

According to another article of the Constitution, everyone has the right to elect and to be elected, but in practice, for nomination of a candidacy, for advocacy, and for many other office processes money is required. A poor person can not afford that. And if to take into account the circumstance that, according to public records, there is 40% poverty in the country, it turns out that 40% of the population cannot make use of their right to be elected.

Article 30 of the Constitution provides for the equality of men and women. How real is that legal equality? In the case of women, we face some skepticism regarding their abilities and neglect of theirs as  supporters to the progress. That is why, the very few women exercising their authority in an official position are becoming vulnerable. Causes for this are different. For instance: not treating them as serious officials and their being fictitious results in relativeness of statistical figures and in formality of women’s holding positions. It turns out that this group of vulnerable representatives is vulnerable even in an official position.

In the face of all these (not referring to national and sexual minorities), without inclusive governance, the state cannot exercise its functions properly and be deemed democratic. After all, being part of the society in a democratic country, should they not participate in the governing bodies through their representatives to the country’s governance? And also, who can more clearly imagine and demand that these groups’ rights and freedoms be realized through their representatives, and raise existing challenges, if not they should, through their representations? A representative of any group should feel that he/she is heard and not ignored by the state, and that his/her rights and freedoms are really guaranteed, which is the main precondition for the existence of the state.

A.Asatryan