Resolution of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum On the procedure of the Constitutional Reform in Armenia
We, the participants of the 7th Annual Assembly of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, while sharing the concerns of the Armenian Platform of the Civil Society Forum, declare that the process of the Constitutional Reform in the Republic of Armenia fails to comply with democratic principles and is unacceptable from the point of view of the Armenian as well as international community. We are concerned that the process of drafting the Constitutional changes and of the campaign for the referendum, including provision of equal opportunities for all while awareness raising, as well as the compiling of the voting lists, are implemented with several violations, and have already contributed to building mistrust towards the final outcome of the referendum. We note that the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum has already stated that the Constitutional reform, as well as the referendum initiated by the authorities of Armenia, are untimely and do not stem from the state’s and society’s interests; they merely reflect the immediate pragmatic interests of the group in power. We consider unacceptable the way the ruling party uses public resources for propagating its own point of view which serves the interests of staying in power. We warn that several provisions, such as those related to human rights and fundamental freedoms, local self-governance, the protection and the restoration of the environment, the proper use of natural resources, and many others are not properly defined in the draft Constitutional document. We declare that the Constitutional reform procedure violates the right of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia to participate in the decision making and it should be declared unacceptable by all those organizations whose mission is promotion and protection of human rights and democracy.
