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 Armenia does not have to carry out all the proposals put forward by Venice Commission experts regarding constitutional reforms, MP of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Sukias Avetisyan told reporters today when commenting on the preliminary opinion of the Venice Commission on the draft new Constitution of Armenia.

In particular, the Venice Commission recommended that the electoral system should not be set out in detail in the Constitution, and the provision about the possibility of a second round between the two most voted parties and alliances should be removed and then included in the Electoral Code.

Speaking about the latter proposal, the parliamentary deputy noted that the provision about the possibility of a second round is ‘the only correct option ‘ to avoid a political crisis.

“I agree that the model of government is not flexible, and for this reason the new Constitution imposes clear responsibility on the prime minister, which may ensure flexibility,” S. Avetisyan said.

In his words, the constitutional reforms in Armenia are aimed at solving 3 problems: the real enshrinement of human rights in the Constitution, a change in the model of government, and the independency of the judiciary.

As regards statements of opponents of the new Constitution of Armenia, the MP said: “Every time something new is published, negative unfounded opinions are also expressed”.

Expert on governance Harutyun Mesrobyan said for his part that in our reality the problem lies not so much in what is written in the draft Constitution as in how it will be put into practice.