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COUNCIL OF EUROPE SAYS CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM 'VITAL' FOR ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan and Astghik Bedevian
Armenialiberty.org, Armenia
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 10 2005
The top decision-making body of the Council of Europe urged Armenians
on Monday to vote for President Robert Kocharian's constitutional
amendments at next month's referendum, saying that they are "vital"
for Armenia's democratic future.
"The referendum to be held on 27 November on this reform will be vital
for Armenia," Diogo Freitas do Amaral, Portugal's foreign minister
and the chairman of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers,
said in a statement.
"By turning out to vote during the referendum, the people of Armenia
will indeed be deciding on changes of fundamental importance for
their future," he said, adding that the proposed changes would shore
up Armenia's weak judiciary and create a "more balanced distribution
of power between the executive and the legislative branches."
Amaral emphasized the fact that Kocharian's constitutional package
has been endorsed by the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's
advisory body on legal reform which has been actively involved in the
reform process. The head of the commission, Gianni Buquicchio, called
for a "yes" vote at the referendum during a recent visit to Yerevan.
The European Union and the United States have also expressed support
for the draft amendments. Western officials say that as well as curbing
sweeping powers vested in the Armenian presidency, the proposed reform
would facilitate Armenia's integration into pan-European structures.
A similar statement was adopted on Monday at a conference of an
organization representing various-level Armenian judges that are
presently appointed and can be dismissed by the president. Under the
proposed reform, the president would continue to appoint them but
would have less control over a body that nominates judges.
"The constitutional draft is close to being a perfect legal document,"
stated the chairman of the Union of Judges, Hovannes Manukian.
The one-day gathering was also attended by Justice Minister David
Harutiunian, who is believed to exercise considerable influence
on Armenian courts notorious for their corruption and lack of
independence. "If our country is to maintain the existing pace of
growth, we must make great efforts to have an established judicial
system in Armenia," Harutiunian said in his address to nearly two
hundred judges.
Armenia's leading opposition groups, meanwhile, remain adamant
in rejecting the amendments as insignificant and irrelevant to
the country's democratization. In a joint statement last month,
17 opposition parties said their enactment would only "legitimize
the regime and prolong its life." They pledged to work together in
trying to scuttle the referendum.
But the opposition leaders disagree on whether they should urge
Armenians to boycott the referendum or vote against the draft
amendments. The National Unity Party (AMK) of Artashes Geghamian
announced last week that it prefers the latter option, while the
second opposition force represented in parliament, the Artarutyun bloc,
has yet to formulate a common position on the issue.
One of the nine parties aligned in the bloc, the National Democratic
Union (AZhM), decided at the weekend to urge supporters not to take
part in the upcoming referendum. The AZhM's prominent leader, Vazgen
Manukian, argued earlier that a low voter turnout would make it more
difficult for the authorities to rig the vote.
The AZhM said in a statement that it will deploy observers in all
1,865 polling stations across Armenia in an effort to prevent vote
falsifications. The party also pledged to step up its "propaganda
struggle" against Kocharian's constitutional changes.
By Emil Danielyan and Astghik Bedevian
Armenialiberty.org, Armenia
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 10 2005
The top decision-making body of the Council of Europe urged Armenians
on Monday to vote for President Robert Kocharian's constitutional
amendments at next month's referendum, saying that they are "vital"
for Armenia's democratic future.
"The referendum to be held on 27 November on this reform will be vital
for Armenia," Diogo Freitas do Amaral, Portugal's foreign minister
and the chairman of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers,
said in a statement.
"By turning out to vote during the referendum, the people of Armenia
will indeed be deciding on changes of fundamental importance for
their future," he said, adding that the proposed changes would shore
up Armenia's weak judiciary and create a "more balanced distribution
of power between the executive and the legislative branches."
Amaral emphasized the fact that Kocharian's constitutional package
has been endorsed by the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's
advisory body on legal reform which has been actively involved in the
reform process. The head of the commission, Gianni Buquicchio, called
for a "yes" vote at the referendum during a recent visit to Yerevan.
The European Union and the United States have also expressed support
for the draft amendments. Western officials say that as well as curbing
sweeping powers vested in the Armenian presidency, the proposed reform
would facilitate Armenia's integration into pan-European structures.
A similar statement was adopted on Monday at a conference of an
organization representing various-level Armenian judges that are
presently appointed and can be dismissed by the president. Under the
proposed reform, the president would continue to appoint them but
would have less control over a body that nominates judges.
"The constitutional draft is close to being a perfect legal document,"
stated the chairman of the Union of Judges, Hovannes Manukian.
The one-day gathering was also attended by Justice Minister David
Harutiunian, who is believed to exercise considerable influence
on Armenian courts notorious for their corruption and lack of
independence. "If our country is to maintain the existing pace of
growth, we must make great efforts to have an established judicial
system in Armenia," Harutiunian said in his address to nearly two
hundred judges.
Armenia's leading opposition groups, meanwhile, remain adamant
in rejecting the amendments as insignificant and irrelevant to
the country's democratization. In a joint statement last month,
17 opposition parties said their enactment would only "legitimize
the regime and prolong its life." They pledged to work together in
trying to scuttle the referendum.
But the opposition leaders disagree on whether they should urge
Armenians to boycott the referendum or vote against the draft
amendments. The National Unity Party (AMK) of Artashes Geghamian
announced last week that it prefers the latter option, while the
second opposition force represented in parliament, the Artarutyun bloc,
has yet to formulate a common position on the issue.
One of the nine parties aligned in the bloc, the National Democratic
Union (AZhM), decided at the weekend to urge supporters not to take
part in the upcoming referendum. The AZhM's prominent leader, Vazgen
Manukian, argued earlier that a low voter turnout would make it more
difficult for the authorities to rig the vote.
The AZhM said in a statement that it will deploy observers in all
1,865 polling stations across Armenia in an effort to prevent vote
falsifications. The party also pledged to step up its "propaganda
struggle" against Kocharian's constitutional changes.