VC approves interim evaluation on Armenia’s Constitution amendmentsOctober 24, 2015 - 16:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) approved Friday, October 23, the second interim evaluation on the draft amendments to the Constitution of Armenia. The evaluation was prepared based on observations by Commission members Christoph Grabenwarter, Sergio Bartole, Taliya Khabrieva, Evgeni Tanchev, Kaarlo Tuori and Aivars Endzins. Armenia’s Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan participated in the session. Khabrieva, Tanchev, Bartole and Endzins hailed the draft amendments to the Constitution, characterizing it as a document that meets all the international standards. 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. The National Assembly approved the revised version of the new draft Constitution on October 5. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Lithuania sending €100,000 to help Armenia fight floods consequences Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to social media to thank his Lithuanian counterpart for the contribution. Armenia: Rescue workers restore pedestrian bridge for flood-hit community Rescue workers on Wednesday, June 5 restored a pedestrian bridge in the town of Alaverdi in Armenia’s north. U.S. “deeply troubled” by Azerbaijan's arrest of civil society members The United States is deeply troubled by the continued arrest of members of Azerbaijani civil society, Matthew Miller has said. Moscow says ready to support Yerevan-Baku reconciliation Moscow has confirmed its readiness to support the reconciliation of Yerevan and Baku. |