PACE monitoring committee requests CE Venice Commission's reference about upcoming referendum in Azerbaijan

The PACE monitoring committee has considered the recent situation in Azerbaijan and decided to request the opinion of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe on the package of amendments to the Constitution to be presented at the national referendum on March 18 of 2009.

These amendments, adopted by the Azerbaijani parliament on December 25 of 2008, envision annulling of the limit on the number of elections as a president, prolongation of the terms of presidency and the parliament in war period and provision of the right to hold a law-making initiative, if it has a support of 40,000 voters and so on.

The monitoring committee will view the opinion of the Venice Commission at its session in March.

"Interfax-Azerbaijan"