THERE MUST BE NO CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM IN AUGUST
A1plus
| 18:43:54 | 04-05-2005 | Politics |
«We speak about high mathematics without having any idea of
arithmetic». This is the opinion of NA delegate Shavarsh Kocharyan
about the course of RA Constitutional amendments. According to him,
the failure of the 2003 Constitutional referendum made it clear how
the constitutional amendments should not be done, but the process
is continuing.
According to the foreseeing of the delegate, the coming constitutional
referendum ill also be a failure. To be more exact, “The authorities
lead it to failure on purpose”. Shavarsh Kocharyan is convinced
that the Constitution must no be put to referendum until three main
principles are stipulated in it, “The Government must be appointed
and resign only by the NA majority, the Courts must be independent
from the executive branch, and the Yerevan mayor must be elected”,
explained the delegate.
The member of the PACE Armenian delegation says that the COE is
tired of us, as of all the other countries which show as if they
are integrating into the EU but in fact are following a completely
different route. As a suchlike country the delegate mentioned Russia
and Azerbaijan. “The comparison to the latter is offending”, said
Shavarsh Kocharyan.
Although the issue of the RA Constitutional amendments was not included
into the PACE spring session agenda, according to him COE continues to
be interested in this issue. The COE bureau has even decided to send
observers to Armenia to take part in the Constitutional referendum. By
the way, this is an exception as the COE sends observers to elections
and not referendums.
It was announced in the PACE spring session that the RA Constitutional
referendum will take place in July-August. We asked Shavarsh
Kocharyan if he was aware of the date before going to Strasbourg. “The
authorities did not know it themselves, but the date was told the
reporters on the spot. An explanation was needed why the issue is
not urgent”, he said.
Armenia had taken upon the commitment to organize the Constitutional
referendum till the end of June, and as far the procedure has failed,
according to Shavarsh Kocharyan the issue had to be included in
the PACE agenda. And the date means that the PACE still has time to
discuss the issue in the summer session.
By the way, according to the delegate, there are two dates which
are unacceptable, “One is August as most people are not in Yerevan,
and the second is putting the referendum together with elections,
in this case – elections of local governing bodies”.
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