Maria Pejčinović Burić Issues Statement Supporting Armenian Authorities in Constitutional Crisis Resolution

Ruben Rubinyan, a member of the 'My Step' faction in the National Assembly, posted on his Facebook page: 'Just now, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Ms. Maria Pejčinović Burić, issued a statement supporting the Armenian authorities in resolving the constitutional crisis, which I present in full.'

'The constitutional crisis in Armenia can be overcome with the assistance of the Venice Commission,' said the Secretary General of the CoE, Ms. Maria Pejčinović Burić. On June 19, the Venice Commission's opinion was approved and published today, making it possible to address the central issues of the constitutional crisis between the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court.'

'In this opinion, the Venice Commission clarified the scope of the review by the Constitutional Court in the process of constitutional amendments and also recognized the authority of the National Assembly to annul its decision to initiate a referendum. Moreover, considering the impact of the current norms on the composition of the Constitutional Court, the Venice Commission accepted that the complete implementation of the relevant provisions of the 2015 Constitution is a legitimate goal.'

'To align this goal with the necessity of maintaining the tenure and independence of judges, the Venice Commission proposed that those judges whose 12-year tenure has not yet expired should continue to serve until that term, while judges who have already served for 12 years should benefit from a new transitional period until their replacement, the duration of which should be determined by the Armenian authorities. The Venice Commission expressed regret that the draft proposal put forward by the parliament on the date of the approval of its opinion does not include such a transitional period.'

'I call upon all branches of government to guide their efforts in overcoming the constitutional crisis according to the recommendations of the Venice Commission, smoothly implementing the relevant provisions of the 2015 Constitution in accordance with European standards,' concluded the Secretary General,' wrote Ruben Rubinyan.