COMMUNITIES ASSOCIATION OF ARMENIA DISCONTENT

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It is obvious that the authorities of the republic intend to combine the referendum on constitutional amendments with the upcoming elections to the local self-government bodies in autumn.

The Communities Association of Armenia, whose members initiated a draft of constitutional amendments still in 1998, considers such approach to be inadmissible. Board member of the Association, head of the Armenian delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, Emin Yeritsyan notes, “The government's right express distrust to the elected head of the community or the right to determine the duration of his office is an example of restricting clauses of the acting Constitution. They should be withdrawn.”

The Association members are convinced that all the three drafts of the constitutional amendments imply serious limitations, the most important of it regarding Yerevan. The Communities Association members hold the opinion that the Mayor of Yerevan should be an elective person and a two-tier government should be established.

Some balance of government is secured by the local community council, which has not been formed in all the communities. «In small communities this institute is acting while in larger ones it bears a formal character. It depends on the activity of the given community and psychology of its residents”, Emin Yeritsyan says.

Some members of the Communities Association consider that the term of the community head should be fixed on 5 years instead of adopted 3. «The elections are held at the first and last year, thus per se the head of the community holds the office for a year only», Mr. Yeritsyan explains.

The Association has a certain viewpoint as regards to the expression of distrust to the community head. «I think that the wording “pre-term suspension of authority” should be used instead of “pre-term dismissal from office”. The head of the community found himself in a very interesting situation when being controlled by the society, the local community council and the government. The latter has the right to undertake measures in respect of delegated authorities.

To note, the Association considers that the community head should be empowered to apply to the Constitutional Court.

By Lena Badeyan