LIVE: The constitutional changes in Armenia (video)
The Armenian office of the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, in cooperation with the Media Center of the Public Journalism Club will hold a discussion on the constitutional changes in Armenia on July 24, 12:00 . The specialized committee drafting constitutional amendments has publicized its first draft of chapters 1-7 of the new Constitution, calling for proposals from political forces before their formal endorsement. Armenia has made public the parts of proposed constitutional changes that would transform Armenia into a parliamentary republic. Under the amendments, the current mixed system of representation in the National Assembly including both party-list and single-mandate ballots will be replaced by a 100-percent proportional system, with 101 members of the new legislative body to be elected by party lists only for a period of five years. Article 5 proposes the President must be elected for a seven-year term. The amendments are to be submitted to a national referendum. Georgia during the last years went through the process of transition from a presidential to a mixed parliamentary system, in which much power lies with the office of the Prime Minister. The discussion will draw parallels between the processes in two countries. The speakers include: Ara Ghazaryan, expert on international law Hovhannes Galstyan, expert at the Institute of Public Policy, Analysis and Dialogue Giorgi Gotsiridze, expert from Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, will join the discussion via a video call.
