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Hurriyet, Turkey
March 4 2011
UK think tank blasts Armenia on pace of reforms
Friday, March 4, 2011
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Photo: A demonstrator raises his fist in front of a giant Armenian
flag as more than 10,000 opposition supporters rally Tuesday in the
center of Yerevan, calling for the government's resignation on the
third anniversary of deadly political unrest. AFP photo.
The pace of reform in Armenia has been slow, a new report by a
London-based think tank has concluded, criticizing a lack of
democratic development, a lack of judicial independence and the
suppression of media freedom.
In Armenia `the pace of reform has been slow, much better on paper
than in practice, and ... this is undermining the hopes and
aspirations of the Armenian people,' the Foreign Policy Centre wrote
in its `Spotlight on Armenia' report.
In addition from the three areas `in need of urgent reform' - judicial
independence, media freedom and democratic development - the report's
numerous authors also address a range of other challenges facing
Armenia, including poor legislative implementation, corruption, a poor
human-rights record and insufficient penitentiary services.
Among the recommendations put forward by the report, the authors
suggest `bringing forward a new package of constitutional reform in
conjunction with civil society and opposition parties.' The
stipulations for such reform include: ending the presidential
appointment of judges and members of the Council of Justice and
replacing the process with selection by parliament or an independent
commission; transferring appointments to the board of the National TV
and Radio Commission and the public broadcaster from the president to
the parliament, transforming local government with the election of
regional governors and greater accountability at the community level
and liberalizing the electoral code to facilitate independent election
observers.
The Foreign Policy Centre, which was founded in 1998 by Britain's
foreign secretary and has three co-presidents, each representing one
of Britain's major political parties, also offers suggestions to the
international community in relation to dealing with Armenia. These
recommendations include a call for international donor funding for a
permanent independent polling agency in Armenia, as well as other
incentives to promote reform.
From: A. Papazian
March 4 2011
UK think tank blasts Armenia on pace of reforms
Friday, March 4, 2011
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Photo: A demonstrator raises his fist in front of a giant Armenian
flag as more than 10,000 opposition supporters rally Tuesday in the
center of Yerevan, calling for the government's resignation on the
third anniversary of deadly political unrest. AFP photo.
The pace of reform in Armenia has been slow, a new report by a
London-based think tank has concluded, criticizing a lack of
democratic development, a lack of judicial independence and the
suppression of media freedom.
In Armenia `the pace of reform has been slow, much better on paper
than in practice, and ... this is undermining the hopes and
aspirations of the Armenian people,' the Foreign Policy Centre wrote
in its `Spotlight on Armenia' report.
In addition from the three areas `in need of urgent reform' - judicial
independence, media freedom and democratic development - the report's
numerous authors also address a range of other challenges facing
Armenia, including poor legislative implementation, corruption, a poor
human-rights record and insufficient penitentiary services.
Among the recommendations put forward by the report, the authors
suggest `bringing forward a new package of constitutional reform in
conjunction with civil society and opposition parties.' The
stipulations for such reform include: ending the presidential
appointment of judges and members of the Council of Justice and
replacing the process with selection by parliament or an independent
commission; transferring appointments to the board of the National TV
and Radio Commission and the public broadcaster from the president to
the parliament, transforming local government with the election of
regional governors and greater accountability at the community level
and liberalizing the electoral code to facilitate independent election
observers.
The Foreign Policy Centre, which was founded in 1998 by Britain's
foreign secretary and has three co-presidents, each representing one
of Britain's major political parties, also offers suggestions to the
international community in relation to dealing with Armenia. These
recommendations include a call for international donor funding for a
permanent independent polling agency in Armenia, as well as other
incentives to promote reform.
From: A. Papazian