WEAK PARLIAMENTARY POSITION OF ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PREVENTS IT FROM
HOLDING REFERENDUM VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN PRES.KOCHARIAN: FREEDOM HOUSE
YEREVAN, JUNE 16. ARMINFO. Widespread corruption and weak governance
remained defining features of Armenia’s political system in 2004,
saYs Freedom House in its report on he democracy situation in the
post-Soviet states.
The reports says that little progress was made in reducing the powers
of the presidency, despite international pressure. The opposition
continued to press for a referendum vote of confidence in President
Robert Kocharian, but its weak parliamentary position and the general
public’s disillusionment with the political class prevented success.
A disturbing rise in the number of assaults on journalists results in
a deterioration of Armenia’s Nations in Transit rating for independent
media. The use of so-called administrative arrests, torture within
the police system, and a new Law on Demonstrations in 2004 results
in a lower rating in the category of judicial framework & independence.