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ARMENIAN OPPOSITION SAYS THAT PACE RAPPORTEUR IS BIASED
arminfo
Monday, January 16, 20:44
The MPs representing the opposition Heritage and ARFD parties believe
that PACE rapporteur on Armenia John Prescott, who is in Yerevan on
a working visit, is biased and supports the Armenian authorities.
Zaruhi Postanjyan from Heritage says that Prescott interrupted them
when they tried to inform him of the instances of bad work by the
police and the public prosecutor's office. "By doing this he has
proved his partiality. He did not want to hear any facts so as not
to mention them in his report," the MP said.
The other rapporteur Axel Fischer has not come to Armenia because
of illness.
During Prescott's meeting with the Armenian delegates to PACE in the
morning Armen Rustamyan from ARFD said that Armenia must switch to
100% proportional electoral system as the current majoritarian one
helps the regime to reproduce itself.
Armen Rustamyan told Radio Liberty that John Prescott got indignant
at his remark. "I did not understand why he overresponded to my
remark. I was retorting properly: we raise an issue before you, so
be so kind as to seriously study this issue and understand what the
current situation is like in Armenia; furthermore, as a co-rapporteur,
you should reflect the existing viewpoints and do your best to raise
the confidence in elections, because this requirement is the keynote
of the PACE resolutions", Rustamyan said.
After the meeting with ARFD representatives, he will also familiarize
himself with the viewpoints of the ruling coalition's three parties
and with the opinion of the extraparliamentary oppositional Armenian
National Congress.
It was earlier reported that discussions will mainly focus on the
follow-up to PACE Resolution 1837 (2011) - on the investigation
into the ten casualties of the March 2008 events, the creation of an
independent police complaints mechanism, and civilian oversight over
the police - as well as on preparations for the 2012 parliamentary
elections, and on the priority areas for the monitoring procedure.
arminfo
Monday, January 16, 20:44
The MPs representing the opposition Heritage and ARFD parties believe
that PACE rapporteur on Armenia John Prescott, who is in Yerevan on
a working visit, is biased and supports the Armenian authorities.
Zaruhi Postanjyan from Heritage says that Prescott interrupted them
when they tried to inform him of the instances of bad work by the
police and the public prosecutor's office. "By doing this he has
proved his partiality. He did not want to hear any facts so as not
to mention them in his report," the MP said.
The other rapporteur Axel Fischer has not come to Armenia because
of illness.
During Prescott's meeting with the Armenian delegates to PACE in the
morning Armen Rustamyan from ARFD said that Armenia must switch to
100% proportional electoral system as the current majoritarian one
helps the regime to reproduce itself.
Armen Rustamyan told Radio Liberty that John Prescott got indignant
at his remark. "I did not understand why he overresponded to my
remark. I was retorting properly: we raise an issue before you, so
be so kind as to seriously study this issue and understand what the
current situation is like in Armenia; furthermore, as a co-rapporteur,
you should reflect the existing viewpoints and do your best to raise
the confidence in elections, because this requirement is the keynote
of the PACE resolutions", Rustamyan said.
After the meeting with ARFD representatives, he will also familiarize
himself with the viewpoints of the ruling coalition's three parties
and with the opinion of the extraparliamentary oppositional Armenian
National Congress.
It was earlier reported that discussions will mainly focus on the
follow-up to PACE Resolution 1837 (2011) - on the investigation
into the ten casualties of the March 2008 events, the creation of an
independent police complaints mechanism, and civilian oversight over
the police - as well as on preparations for the 2012 parliamentary
elections, and on the priority areas for the monitoring procedure.