CHAIRMAN OF PUBLIC TV AND RADIO COMPANY BOARD BREAKS HIS WORD

Noyan Tapan
Mar 01 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, NOYAN TAPAN. After the adoption of RA Constitutional
Court’s well-known decision the statements of deputies at RA National
Assembly sitting were broadcast incompletely on February 28. On
February 16, the Constitutional Court recognized as invalid and
contradicting RA Constitution the obligation of NA Regulations
to broadcast at certain hours programs covering parliament’s
activities. But Chairman of Public TV and Radio Company Board
Alexan Haroutiunian had promised that broadcasting of these programs
would not be stopped until the expiration of powers of NA of current
convocation, but only the hour of broadcast can be changed and possible
swearing expressions can be cut off. In spite of this, statements of
only four out of ten deputies made at the February 27 sitting were
broadcast. "If an official does not keep his word, how can we hope
that we will have a normal power in the future, including in this
sphere?," independent MP Tatul Manaserian told NT correspondent on
March 1. His statements had not been broadcast, either. In the MP’s
opinion, in essence, on February 27, it was the last sitting of NA
of current convocation and only 10 statements lasting 30 minutes in
total were made, so broadcast time was not trespassed. Especially as
the sitting dedicated to NA-government question and answer broadcast
immediately after the statements had failed.