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CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS CONCEPT RULES OUT REFERENDUM NEXT YEAR - VARDAN POGHOSYAN
15:00 * 14.10.14
The Venice Commission approved the draft concept of constitutional
amendments.
The document will soon be available on the Venice Commission website
and will be submitted to Armenia's president, Vardan Poghosyan,
a member of the Commission for Constitutional Reforms, told Tert.am.
Thereafter, Armenia's president is supposed to sign a decree approving
the draft concept.
"How long the process will take depends on the country's president
and on the expected political process because, besides being a legal
document, the concept has political components. So the president has
to hold political consultations with the country's major political
forces," Mr Poghosyan said.
If the president approves the draft concept, the Commission for
Constitutional Amendments has 10 months to draft a reform package.
As to political forces' stances on parliamentary government, he said:
"The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D)
party clearly stated its support for both constitutional reforms and
parliamentary government. The Prosperous Armenia and Heritage parties'
positions are different. In 2012, they demanded constitutional
amendments and parliamentary government. Now, however, they are
showing a negative attitude to the process of reforms. The Armenian
National Congress (ANC) party has always been against. As to the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), the country's president as RPA
leader undertook the initiative and the party is for constitutional
amendments. On the other hand, the RPA is not unanimous on the
government system."
With respect to the enhancement of political minorities' role envisaged
by the draft concept, and the non-parliamentary forces' position, Mr
Poghosyan said that they initiated discussions with the parliamentary
forces and some non-parliamentary forces.
However, he finds it difficult to comment on the non-parliamentary
forces' attitude.
"One thing is obvious: the strengthening of the parliamentary
opposition's role will promote the development of democracy. The Venice
Commission highly praised those proposals in its latest conclusion,
hailing the desire to raise the political opposition's role," he said.
As for the referendum, Poghosyan said that they do not have any
specific timeframes for now. "If the draft concept receives the
president's approval, the constitutional commission is obliged,
within 10 days, to elaborate the corresponding text of the reforms to
proceed with the process at the National Assembly. The president of
the republic is to apply to the National Assembly with an initiative
on constitutional reforms. A minimum three-month period is needed
for those debates, so it will be put to a referendum only after the
National Assembly gives its approval. Hence my opinion is that 2015
is totally ruled as a as far as the reforms are concerned," he added.
Armenian News - Tert.am
15:00 * 14.10.14
The Venice Commission approved the draft concept of constitutional
amendments.
The document will soon be available on the Venice Commission website
and will be submitted to Armenia's president, Vardan Poghosyan,
a member of the Commission for Constitutional Reforms, told Tert.am.
Thereafter, Armenia's president is supposed to sign a decree approving
the draft concept.
"How long the process will take depends on the country's president
and on the expected political process because, besides being a legal
document, the concept has political components. So the president has
to hold political consultations with the country's major political
forces," Mr Poghosyan said.
If the president approves the draft concept, the Commission for
Constitutional Amendments has 10 months to draft a reform package.
As to political forces' stances on parliamentary government, he said:
"The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D)
party clearly stated its support for both constitutional reforms and
parliamentary government. The Prosperous Armenia and Heritage parties'
positions are different. In 2012, they demanded constitutional
amendments and parliamentary government. Now, however, they are
showing a negative attitude to the process of reforms. The Armenian
National Congress (ANC) party has always been against. As to the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), the country's president as RPA
leader undertook the initiative and the party is for constitutional
amendments. On the other hand, the RPA is not unanimous on the
government system."
With respect to the enhancement of political minorities' role envisaged
by the draft concept, and the non-parliamentary forces' position, Mr
Poghosyan said that they initiated discussions with the parliamentary
forces and some non-parliamentary forces.
However, he finds it difficult to comment on the non-parliamentary
forces' attitude.
"One thing is obvious: the strengthening of the parliamentary
opposition's role will promote the development of democracy. The Venice
Commission highly praised those proposals in its latest conclusion,
hailing the desire to raise the political opposition's role," he said.
As for the referendum, Poghosyan said that they do not have any
specific timeframes for now. "If the draft concept receives the
president's approval, the constitutional commission is obliged,
within 10 days, to elaborate the corresponding text of the reforms to
proceed with the process at the National Assembly. The president of
the republic is to apply to the National Assembly with an initiative
on constitutional reforms. A minimum three-month period is needed
for those debates, so it will be put to a referendum only after the
National Assembly gives its approval. Hence my opinion is that 2015
is totally ruled as a as far as the reforms are concerned," he added.
Armenian News - Tert.am