Armenian parliament invalidates law on constitutional referendum
30.06.2020,
13:19
By a vote of 81 Armenia's National Assembly has invalidated today an earlier adopted law on holding a referendum on amending the country's constitution.
YEREVAN, June 30. /ARKA/. By a vote of 81 Armenia's National Assembly has invalidated today an earlier adopted law on holding a referendum on amending the country's constitution.
The bill to invalidate the law on amending the constitution had been motioned by the quarter of the 132-member legislature.
The referendum, initially scheduled for April 5 was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Later, it was decided to have the proposed amendments approved by the parliament.
On June 22, Armenia's National Assembly adopted a string of amendments to the Constitution, designed to replace some members of the Constitutional Court. According to the new edition of Article 213 of the Constitution, the powers of the current chairman of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan and those judges who have been in office for a total of more than 12 years are terminated. The remaining judges will continue to work until this deadline. A new head of the Constitutional Court should be elected for a 6-year term after all members of the Court are elected.
Thus, with the new amendments, the powers of the members of the Constitutional Court are terminated, except for those who were elected after 2015. There are two such judges - Vahe Grigoryan and Arman Dilanyan.
Since the adopted draft relates directly to the Constitutional Court, the ruling My Step parliamentary majority refused to send the amendments to the Constitutional Court on grounds that its judges must not determine the amendments’ conformity with other articles of the constitution because of a conflict of interest.
The package of bills on amending laws on the referendum, on the regulations of the National Assembly and on the Constitutional Court were signed into law by Armenian President Armen Sarkissian .-- 0--
The bill to invalidate the law on amending the constitution had been motioned by the quarter of the 132-member legislature.
The referendum, initially scheduled for April 5 was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Later, it was decided to have the proposed amendments approved by the parliament.
On June 22, Armenia's National Assembly adopted a string of amendments to the Constitution, designed to replace some members of the Constitutional Court. According to the new edition of Article 213 of the Constitution, the powers of the current chairman of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan and those judges who have been in office for a total of more than 12 years are terminated. The remaining judges will continue to work until this deadline. A new head of the Constitutional Court should be elected for a 6-year term after all members of the Court are elected.
Thus, with the new amendments, the powers of the members of the Constitutional Court are terminated, except for those who were elected after 2015. There are two such judges - Vahe Grigoryan and Arman Dilanyan.
Since the adopted draft relates directly to the Constitutional Court, the ruling My Step parliamentary majority refused to send the amendments to the Constitutional Court on grounds that its judges must not determine the amendments’ conformity with other articles of the constitution because of a conflict of interest.
The package of bills on amending laws on the referendum, on the regulations of the National Assembly and on the Constitutional Court were signed into law by Armenian President Armen Sarkissian .-- 0--
