NA SPEAKER SAYS EVERYTHING TO BE DONE FOR INCREASE OF ROLE OF PARLIAMENT

ARMENPRESS
Dec 26, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS: Armenian National Assembly Speaker
Hovik Abrahamian gave today a reception for the representatives of
mass media on the occasion of New Year and Christmas.

"I want to thank you for wide coverage of the activity of the National
Assembly. Thanks to your everyday work the National Assembly is the
most open and publicly working, transparent state establishment where
there can not be and there is no secret from mass media," H. Abrahamian
said, congratulating everyone’s New Year and wishing peace, tolerance,
success and happiness.

"I want to believe that your publications from parliament will
be really objective, interesting, important and necessary for the
people. Let the 2009 bring success to all of us, peace and welfare
to our country and people," the NA speaker said.

Hovik Abrahamian said that the National Assembly is a political body
and the speaker of the parliament is the head of the political body
and the initiated and carried out serious steps have been directed
towards consolidation of tolerance, unity and peace.

"We have big programs. The role of the National Assembly is not
limited with 1-2 months or a year, it is a process which will be of
continuative nature. We are going to organize National Assembly-people
contacts," Hovik Abrahamian assured, saying that from the coming year
visits to provinces will also be conducted.

The speaker also said that changes will also take place in the issue
of legislative initiatives – if currently 92.5 percent of the bills is
developed by the government and only 7.5 percent by the parliament in
future the members of parliament will come forth with more initiatives.

A working group has already been set up which will work towards the
change of the points of those laws which have been recognized by the
Constitutional Court as contradicting to the Constitution. There are
21 such laws.

The NA speaker also said that the participation of members of
parliament in the sessions of the NA have improved and the number of
hearings and discussions also increased.