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ISTANBUL: UK think tank blasts Armenia on pace of reforms

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  • ISTANBUL: UK think tank blasts Armenia on pace of reforms

    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
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