Armenian Parliament Opens Final Debates On Constitution

29 August 2005

Opposition leaders suspended their 18-month boycott of parliament on Monday as
it began final debates on President Robert Kocharian’s draft amendments to
Armenia’s constitution that are due to be put to a referendum in November.

Members of the National Assembly’s opposition minority were present at the
extraordinary session despite the rejection of their demands for more serious
constitutional amendments. Leaders of the parliament’s pro-presidential majority
effectively ruled out any changes in Kocharian’s revised constitutional package
that were endorsed by the Council of Europe last month. Its approval by the
majority of lawmakers and rejection by the country’s two main opposition groups
now appear to be a forgone conclusion.


http://new.csi.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15276

OSCE Hopes For Success Of Armenian Constitution Reform

05 August 2005

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe hopes for the success of
the Armenian authorities’ efforts to reform the controversial post-Soviet
constitution, the head of its Yerevan office said.


http://new.csi.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15268

Poll: Yerevan Residents Want Elected Mayor

09 August 2005

The overwhelming majority of Yerevan’s residents want to have an elected mayor
and only two percent of them support an alternative solution favored by the
Armenian government, according to an opinion poll released on Tuesday.

Vox Populi, an independent polling organization, said 86 percent of about 700
people randomly interviewed by its researchers believe that the mayor should be
directly chosen by a majority of voters, rather than being appointed by the
president of the republic as is the case now. Only 9 percent of them defended
the existing procedure for the formation of the municipal administration which
is enshrined in Armenia’s constitution.


http://new.csi.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15269

PACE Chief Urges Political Consensus On Armenian Constitution

19 August 2005

The president of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), Rene van
der Linden, appealed to Armenia’s government and opposition to reach a mutually
acceptable agreement on amending the Armenian constitution.


http://new.csi.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15270

Armenian Ombudsman Joins Criticism Of Venice Commission

28 July 2005

Armenia’s top official in charge of human rights protection joined
non-governmental organizations on Thursday in criticizing Council of Europe
experts for their failure to demand more serious changes in the formation of
powerful bodies regulating electronic media.


http://new.csi.am/eng/?page=issue&id=15255