British envoy says constitutional reform to ensure democracy in Armenia

Arminfo
2 Sep 05

Yerevan, 2 September: If the constitutional changes are approved
in the November referendum, it will ensure Armenia’s democratic
development, the British ambassador to Armenia, Thorda Abbott-Watt,
has told Arminfo.

“It is vital for Armenian citizens to realize this and participate
actively in the referendum,” the ambassador said. Commenting on
heated debates at extraordinary sessions of parliament about the draft
amendments and the opposition’s negative assessment of the document,
Abbott-Watt said the opposition’s presence at the extraordinary
sessions was a positive move.

Predicting the outcome of the upcoming referendum, the ambassador
expressed the hope that Armenia had learnt a lesson from the
bitter experience of the 2003 election and that the referendum on
constitutional changes would go without falsifications.

“The electoral institutions need to be improved, a lot needs to be
changed and we shall follow the process closely,” the ambassador said.