President Sargsyan sets date for constitutional referendum

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree setting December 6, 2015 as the date for the referendum on constitutional reforms in Armenia, the President's press office reports.

On August 21, President Serzh Sargsyan submitted the draft amendments to the Constitution to the National Assembly.

The draft amendments had been developed by the Commission on Constitutional Reforms under Armenian President According to the draft Constitution, the President is elected for 7 years instead of the current 5 and can only serve one term. The President should be a permanent resident of Armenia during the previous 7 years, instead of the current 10. The amendments ban the President from affiliation with a political party.

Article 125 of the draft Constitution sets the procedure of a presidential election. The President shall be elected by an assembly consisting of an equal number of Armenian parliament members and representatives of local government bodies, appointed by municipalities themselves.

The Prime Minister will become the supreme commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces during the period of military operations. He is appointed by the President, who, in particular, confirms the candidate nominated by the political force that won the National Assembly elections. No more than 18 ministries can be formed.

The European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) published on September 11 the second interim evaluation on the draft amendments to the Constitution of Armenia, promulgated by special commission on constitutional reforms under the country’s President.

The commission’s preliminary assessment includes the edited version of the 89th article of the draft amendments, which deals with the transition to the proportional electoral system and the formation of a stable majority in parliament. Public debates on the draft Constitution were held until late July.