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YEREVAN. – The implementation of the electoral reform requires sufficient time and preparation, President of the Venice Commission, Mr. Gianni Buquicchio says. In a written response the inquiry by Armenian News-NEWS.am, Mr. Buquicchio explained how the Venice Commission can help and how much time the reform may take.

Armenian Prime Minister has signed a draft decision proposing procedures for initiating electoral reforms. We would like to ask you about the procedure. Does the new government have to present a draft to the Venice Commission first?

The Venice Commission and Armenia have a long history of good cooperation. The Minister of Justice of Armenia has expressed the government’s willingness to continue to cooperate with the Commission.  In turn, the Commission has expressed full support for the peaceful change in power that has recently taken place in Armenia, and is ready to assist in whatever manner appears useful and expedient to strengthen the democratic functioning of the Armenian institutions in line with the Constitution.

Some politicians and experts say that it is technically impossible to hold elections this year. Is there a precise timeframe for this kind of reform?  How much time can it take from the Venice Commission experts to consider the document and give approval of the Venice Commission?

 The Venice Commission has stressed in the past that any important reform, be it constitutional or electoral, needs to be adequately prepared through an inclusive and transparent process and needs to be adopted with the broadest consensus possible. The implementation of the reform also requires sufficient time and preparation. The actual time varies depending on the specific context and extent of the reforms. In principle, it is preferable that a reform should not be rushed, quality should prevail over speed. But, there may be situations in which time is of the essence.

The Venice Commission should ideally be involved since the early stages and follow the process until the end. The Commission can prepare its opinion rather quickly, and has a special procedure to follow in urgent cases.

Armenian Justice Ministry released a statement after Minister Artak Zeynalyan met with you during the plenary session of the Venice Commission. According to the statement, you underlined that the political parties must have enough time to prepare for the elections after the electoral legislation is reformed. What do you think how much time is needed? 

There is no fixed time universally valid for every reform. The Commission has recommended in the past that the electoral legislation should not be modified one year prior to the elections. This term indicates the average time that should be allowed for implementing the reform. But, it is not cast in stone, there may be particular situations which require a more rapid action or response. The Commission and Minister Zeynalyan agree that a reasonable time should be allowed for the preparation of the snap elections.

 

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