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Council of Europe
http://www.coe.int/
Sept 30 2005
The best way to achieve democratic change in Armenia - Venice
Commission round table on constitutional reforms in Armenia
Experts of the Council of Europe's Venice Commission and
representatives from other international organisations are to hold a
round table with representatives of Armenian political parties, media
and civil society on constitutional reform.
They will discuss the proposed new constitution at a meeting in
Yerevan at 4pm on Friday 30 September 2005, at the offices of the
National Assembly. This text, which was finalised by the National
Assembly on 28 September, is the result of five years of continuous
efforts. It will be put to a referendum at the end of November.
The Venice Commission considers the proposed constitution to be a
decisive step forward for a number of reasons:
- It provides a much better balance between the powers of the
President and the Parliament
- It also provides for the abolition of the death penalty and for
better recognition and protection of other human rights
- A more independent judiciary and a stronger local self-government
are among other major improvements.
The Venice Commission's positive assessment of the draft constitution
is shared by the European Union and the OSCE. At the same time
certain issues are not considered to be addressed clearly by the
current draft and the international experts attending the round table
are ready to explain how the proposed new constitution can
nevertheless provide viable solutions.
Among the Armenian participants will be representatives of civil
society and a large spectrum of political groups, including those who
oppose the referendum and who are not represented in the National
Assembly.
The round table is open to the press.
See the assessment of the Armenian draft constitution on the Venice
Commission's website http://www.venice.coe.int .
Contact:
Contacts for more information: Anna Ghukasyan, Office of the Special
Representative of the Secretary General to Armenia Tel: +374 10 24 33
85 Tatyana Mychelova, External Relations Officer, Venice Commission
Tel.:+33 388 41 38 68
http://www.coe.int/
Sept 30 2005
The best way to achieve democratic change in Armenia - Venice
Commission round table on constitutional reforms in Armenia
Experts of the Council of Europe's Venice Commission and
representatives from other international organisations are to hold a
round table with representatives of Armenian political parties, media
and civil society on constitutional reform.
They will discuss the proposed new constitution at a meeting in
Yerevan at 4pm on Friday 30 September 2005, at the offices of the
National Assembly. This text, which was finalised by the National
Assembly on 28 September, is the result of five years of continuous
efforts. It will be put to a referendum at the end of November.
The Venice Commission considers the proposed constitution to be a
decisive step forward for a number of reasons:
- It provides a much better balance between the powers of the
President and the Parliament
- It also provides for the abolition of the death penalty and for
better recognition and protection of other human rights
- A more independent judiciary and a stronger local self-government
are among other major improvements.
The Venice Commission's positive assessment of the draft constitution
is shared by the European Union and the OSCE. At the same time
certain issues are not considered to be addressed clearly by the
current draft and the international experts attending the round table
are ready to explain how the proposed new constitution can
nevertheless provide viable solutions.
Among the Armenian participants will be representatives of civil
society and a large spectrum of political groups, including those who
oppose the referendum and who are not represented in the National
Assembly.
The round table is open to the press.
See the assessment of the Armenian draft constitution on the Venice
Commission's website http://www.venice.coe.int .
Contact:
Contacts for more information: Anna Ghukasyan, Office of the Special
Representative of the Secretary General to Armenia Tel: +374 10 24 33
85 Tatyana Mychelova, External Relations Officer, Venice Commission
Tel.:+33 388 41 38 68