Open news feed Close news feed
A A

THERE MUST BE NO CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM IN AUGUST

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”.