PACE REPORT ON ARMENIA TO BE READY IN OCTOBER

ArmenPress
June 11 2004

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS: A senior official from the Council of
Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), monitoring the fulfillment
of Armenia’s membership commitments said today he received full
information from the chairman of Armenian Constitutional Court on a
decision the Court issued in the aftermath of last year’s presidential
election, the outcome of which was challenged by the opposition. Though
the Court upheld Kocharian’s election on appeal from Stepan Demirchian,
his main opposition candidate, who charged that government workers
falsified results, the Court yet attached a recommendation to its
decision, advocating a popular referendum on confidence in the
president within a year in a bid to diffuse the high tension.

The Court’s ruling admitted that violations “that are incompatible
with the further development of democracy” occurred at “separate
polling precincts” during the voting and subsequent vote count. In
conclusion, it shared the concerns expressed by monitors from the
Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe about violations of electoral procedures. It ruled that
law-enforcement officials, including judges and prosecutors, failed to
act adequately in many instances. Yet the court ultimately upheld the
Central Electoral Commission’s March 11 decision to declare Kocharian
the winner.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Constitutional Court chairman,
Gagik Harutunian, Jerzy Jaskiernia (Poland, SOC), co-rapporteur on
Armenia of the Assembly’s Monitoring Committee, who arrived today
in Armenia on a fact-finding visit to assess the state of Armenia’s
honoring of its obligations and commitments, said he was going
to discuss with justice and other law-enforcement officials the
reformation of the country’s judiciary and constitutional reforms
with the parliament leadership. He said the final text of his report
will be ready in October.