Venice Commission backs proposed model of Constitutional Court – ruling party MP

The Venice Commission has given approval to the model of a Constitutional Court which the Armenian authorities are now trying to re-establish, the leader of the ruling parliamentary bloc said today, commenting on plans to submit the proposed draft package of the constitutional reforms to the Council of Europe's advisory body.

Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly, Lilit Makutns (My Step faction) described the political majority's nationwide referendum plan as a real effort enabling the voters in Armenia to back the bill aimed at "re-establishing the universal trust" in the high court.

But she did not rule out the possibility of their political team's possible move to revise their decision.  ″The 2015 Constitution was submitted to all the international institutions. The Commission gave its approval to the model of a Constitutional Court which we are today willing to re-establish. Hence it would turn out that we are seeking a second opinion,″ the lawmaker noted.  

Commenting on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's recent visit to Germany, his meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel and the joint press statement released after the private talks, Makunts dismised the reports that an important part was ommitted from the Armenian translation of the document. She said that the statement reflected the chancellor's welcoming attitude to the reforms agenda (regarding particularly the judiciary reforms), as well as the Armenian authorities' cooperation with the Venice Commission.

Makunts also denied any reproachful attitude by the European partners.

Asked to comment on the opposition Bright Armenia party's earlier claim that the authorities pushed ahead with the constitutional reforms in an effort to get rid of CC Chairman Hryar Tovmasyan, Makunts dismissed any problems with individual court members. ″The problem is that the Constitutional Court has to function in accordance with the Constitution adopted in 2015 (as do the other constitutional bodies). The CC members matter to us to the extent that it is important to guarantee their independence, neturality friom all political forces and impartiality. We have reasonable doubts that individual members of the Constitutional Court do not function independently and impatially, and that, in point of fact, is a legal security issue for the Republic of Armenia,″ she said.