THE NEXT AMALYAN MUST BE APPOINTED BY THE NA
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[12:11 pm] 17 January, 2007
March 19 is the deadline of the office of three members of the National
Committee of TV and Radio, President Grigor Amalyan, deputy president
Shamiram Aghabekyan, and Karine Khodikyan. All of them were appointed
by Robert Kocharyan on March 19, 2001, for a period of six years. After
the Constitutional reforms half of the members of the committee are
to be appointed by the NA, whereas the other half – by the President.
After the November 27 Constitutional Referendum the Committee was
not dissolved as according to the transitional provisions of the
Constitution the members of the Committee remain in office till
the end of the period allotted to them. After that new members are
appointed by the President and the NA consequently.
The RA Law on Television and Radio has not yet been changed in
accordance with the Constitution. In that case, how will the new
members be appointed? "If the law isn’t changed before March 19,
Kocharyan will possibly reappoint Grigor Amalyan or someone else",
says Boris Navasardyan, president of the Yerevan Press Club.
Specialist of constitutional rights Vardan Poghosyan mentions that
the demand of the Constitution must be carried out before the law
is changed. "If the period of their office is over, or in case they
resign, new members must be appointed by the President and the NA
consequently. There is no need of a law for that".
By the way, a moth ago initiative "Cooperation for Open Society"
sent an open letter to the Committee asking them to resign.