YEREVAN. – Zhoghovurd daily of Armenia writes: The letter sent yesterday by the President of the Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio, to now former President of the Constitutional Court, Hrayr Tovmasyan, was a cold shower for the representatives of the [Armenian] halls of power.
"I have been following closely the developments in Armenia concerning the constitutional amendments. I regret that they are not in line with the clear recommendations of the Venice Commission. I cannot but recall the need to respect the Constitution," the letter reads.
The thing is that on June 22, the Venice Commission had published its conclusion on the process of constitutional amendments in Armenia (…).
And yet, although an attempt was made to present that conclusion in a positive light, it actually contained open criticism. And yesterday's letter probably became the last straw, and representatives of the [Armenian] halls of power (…) again considered it the omission of Minister [of Justice Rustam] Badasyan, as the latter worked closely with the Venice Commission, in essence, failing to "persuade" them.