Progress report | Doc. 13945 Addendum I | 25 January 2016
Activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee (25 January 2016)
1. Decisions of the Bureau of 25 January 2016 requiring ratification by the Assembly
1.1. Vice-Presidents of the Assembly in 2016
The Bureau took note of the list of candidates for Vice-Presidents of the Assembly (Appendix 1).
1.2. References and transmissions to committees
The Bureau considered and approved the following references:
1.2.1. References to committees
- Doc. 13927, motion for a recommendation, Genetically engineered human beings, reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report;
- Bureau decision, The activities of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2016-2017, reference to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report.
1.2.2. Modification of a reference
Doc. 13569, motion for a resolution, Drafting social indicators and issuing an annual report on social rights (Ref. 4077 of 3 October 2014 – validity: 3 October 2016), reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report and to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for opinion.
1.3. Election observation
1.3.1. Kazakhstan: early parliamentary elections (20 March 2016)
The Bureau decided to observe the early parliamentary elections and constituted an ad hoc committee to this effect composed of 11 members (EPP/CD: 3; SOC: 3; ALDE: 2, EC: 2 and UEL: 1- in accordance with d’Hondt system) and the rapporteur of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy on The relations of Council of Europe with Kazakhstan, Mr Axel Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD).
1.4. Composition of the Monitoring Committee, the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs and the Committee on the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights
On the basis of proposals by the political groups, the Bureau nominated members of these committees and decided to submit them to the Assembly for ratification (Commissions (2016) addendum 1).
1.5. Resolution 1376 (2004) relating to Cyprus
The Bureau took note of the letters from the two Turkish Cypriot political parties informing the President of the Assembly of the names of the “elected representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community” entitled to sit in the Assembly in 2016, namely Mr Özdemir Berova and Mr Mehmet Çaglar.
The Assembly is invited to ratify the above proposals made by the Bureau.
2. Other decisions of the Bureau
2.1. First part-session of 2016 (25 to 29 January)
2.1.1. Credentials of the Russian delegation for the Ordinary Session 2016
The Bureau took note of the letter jointly signed by Ms Valentina Matvienko, Chair of the Council of Federation of the Russian Federation, and Mr Sergey Naryshkin, Chair of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, explaining that the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation “did not consider it possible at this very moment to approach the Assembly for ratification of Russian delegation credentials during the January 2016 Assembly session”, as well as of the reply by Ms Anne Brasseur, President of the Assembly that “in line with Article 25 of the Statute of the Council of Europe and Rule 6 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliamentary Assembly, this means that there will be no delegation of the Russian Federation taking part in the work of the Assembly throughout the whole of 2016, or at least until the next parliamentary elections take place in Russia”.
2.1.2. Requests for debates under urgent procedure and current affairs debate
The Bureau decided to propose to the Assembly to hold a debate under urgent procedure on Combating international terrorism while protecting Council of Europe standards and values on Wednesday 27 January in the afternoon, and to refer this matter to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report and to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and to the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination for opinion.
The Bureau also decided to propose to the Assembly to hold a debate under urgent procedure on The functioning of democratic institutions in Poland, to be held on Thursday 28 January in the morning, and to refer this matter to the Monitoring Committee for report.
Finally, the Bureau decided not to propose to the Assembly to hold a debate under urgent procedure on The Protection of Women and the honest reporting of unpalatable truths but to hold a current affairs debate on Recent attacks against women in European cities - the need for a comprehensive response, to be held on Thursday 28 January in the afternoon, with Sir Roger Gale as first speaker.
2.1.3. Draft agenda
The Bureau updated the draft agenda.
2.1.4. Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Cyprus
The Bureau took note of the report drawn up by the Committee on the election of judges following interviews with candidates for the post of judge to the Court in respect of Cyprus. This report had been already declassified by the Committee and submitted to the attention of all members of the Assembly (Doc. 13945 Addendum II).
2.2. Election observation
2.2.1. Armenia: referendum on constitutional reforms (6 December 2015)
The Bureau took note of the memorandum by the Chairperson of the ad hoc committee (Appendix 2).
2.2.2. “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”: early parliamentary elections (24 April 2016, to be confirmed)
The Bureau approved the composition of the ad hoc committee and appointed Mr Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC) as its Chairperson (Appendix 3).
2.2.3. Meeting of the Chairpersons of ad hoc committees for the observation of elections (27 January 2015)
The Bureau took note of the draft agenda of the meeting to be chaired by Ms Meritxell Mateu (Andorra, ALDE).
2.2.4. Schedule of elections for 2016
The Bureau took note of the elections calendar for 2016 as presented in the memorandum prepared by the Secretary General of the Assembly.
2.3. References and transmissions to committees
2.3.1. Extension of a reference
Bureau decision, The nature of the mandate of members of the Parliamentary Assembly (Ref. 4018 of 27 January 2014 – validity: 27 January 2016): extension until 31 December 2016.
2.4. Meetings elsewhere than Strasbourg and Paris
The Bureau authorised the following meetings:
- Sub-Committee on the European Social Charter (Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development) to meet in Turin, Italy, on 17-18 March 2016;
- Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons to meet in Tbilisi on 21-22 March 2016;
- Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy to meet in Reykjavik on 26 September 2016.
2.5. Communications
The Bureau took note of communications by the President, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
Appendix 1 – Vice-Presidents of the Assembly in 2016
(open)AS/Inf (2016) 01
25 January 2016
Candidatures
GROUPS /GROUPES |
COUNTRY / PAYS |
CANDIDATES / CANDIDATS |
---|---|---|
GROUP I / GROUPE I |
France |
M. René Rouquet |
Germany / Allemagne |
Mr Axel E. Fischer |
|
Italy / Italie |
Ms Adele Gambaro |
|
Russian Federation / Fédération de Russie |
||
Turkey / Turquie |
Mr Talip Küçükcan |
|
United Kingdom / Royaume-Uni |
Sir Roger Gale |
|
GROUP II / GROUPE II |
Poland / Pologne |
Mr Włodzimierz Bernacki |
Spain / Espagne |
||
GROUP III / GROUPE III |
Denmark / Danemark |
Mr Michael Aastrup Jensen |
Finlande / Finlande |
Ms Maria Guzenina |
|
Georgia / Géorgie |
Mr Tedo Japaridze |
|
Greece / Grèce |
Ms Anneta Kavvadia |
|
Hungary / Hongrie |
Mr Zsolt Németh |
|
Republic of Moldova / République de Moldova |
Ms Liliana Palihovici |
|
Netherlands / Pays-Bas |
Ms Ria Oomen-Ruijten |
|
Norway / Norvège |
Ms Ingjerd Schou |
|
GROUP IV / GROUPE IV |
"The former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia" / "L'ex-Rép. yougoslave de Macédoine" |
Mr Aleksandar Nikoloski |
Albania / Albanie |
Ms Valentina Leskaj |
|
Andorra / Andorre |
Ms Meritxell Mateu |
|
Armenia / Arménie |
Ms Hermine Naghdalyan |
Appendix 2 – Observation of the referendum on constitutional reforms in Armenia (6 December 2015) – Memorandum by Mr Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), Chairperson of the ad hoc committee
(open)AS/Bur (2016) 04
22 January 2016
Bureau of the Assembly
1. Introduction
2. The drawing-up of the new constitution, political context, legal framework and inclusiveness of the process
3. Referendum administration
4. Referendum campaign and media environment
5. Referendum day
6. Official complaints and how they were treated
7. Conclusions and recommendations
- the inaccuracy of the voting lists containing the names of many people residing permanently abroad or even deceased, leading to claims that these identities were usurped by people who then voted several times;
- allegations of large-scale organised vote buying and carousel voting as well as pressure on voters;
- the media playing field was once again not a level one and the political parties were not able to fulfil their duties of informing and motivating the public;
- the misuse of administrative resources by executive bodies;
- allegations of pressure on, and attempts to corrupt, election officials;
- shortcomings in the training of precinct election officials, particularly during counting;
- the lack of mobile voting effectively excluded disabled citizens from the process.
Appendix 1: Ad hoc Committee for the observation of the referendum on constitutional reforms in Armenia
(6 December 2015)
List of members
Chairperson: Andreas GROSS (Switzerland, SOC)
Socialist Group (SOC)
- Andreas GROSS, Switzerland
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
- Doris FIALA, Switzerland
Rapporteur AS/MON (ex officio)
- Mr Alan MEALE, United Kingdom
Secretariat
- Bogdan TORCĂTORIU, Administrative Officer, Election observation and Interparliamentary co-operation Division
- Anne GODFREY, Assistant, Election observation and Interparliamentary co-operation Division / Assistante
Appendix 2: Programme
Friday, 4 December 2015
13:30-14:30 Council of Europe Office
Delegation meeting with the participation of Ms Natalia Voutova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan
14:30-15:45 Meeting with representatives of NGOs (round table):
- Armenian Helsinki Committee: Mr Avetik Ishkhanyan (Chair)
- Helsinki Citizens' Assembly: Mr Arthur Sakunts (Chair)
- Transparency International: Ms Sona Aivazyan (Vice-Director)
- Open Society Institute: Ms Larisa Minasyan (Executive Director)
15:45-17:00 Meeting with media representatives (round table):
- Yerevan Press Club: Mr Boris Navasardyan, Chair, Mr Mikayel Zolyan, Project Co-ordinator
- RFE / RL (Radio Liberty): Ms Hegine Buniatyan
- A1 Plus: Ms Karine Asatryan, Editor-in-Chief
- Aravot Daily: Ms Nelli Grigoryan
17:00-18:00 Meeting with experts from the OSCE/ODIHR:
- Mr Douglas Bruce Wake (Leader of the Referendum Expert Team)
- Mr Alexey Gromov (Election Adviser)
- Mr Egor Tilpunov (Media Expert)
Saturday, 5 December 2015
10:00-12:00 (at the Parliament) Meetings with:
10:00-11:00 leaders and representatives of parliamentary groups and/or parties in favour of “YES”: Ms Hermine Naghdalyan and Mr Koryun Nahapetyan, Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Mr Armen Rustamyan, Armenian Revolutionary Federation - Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D), Ms Naira Zohrabyan, Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP)
11:00-12:00 leaders and representatives of parliamentary groups and/or parties in favour of “NO”: Heritage, Armenian National Congress (ANC) (including People's Party of Armenia), “Rule of Law”: Mr Levon Zourabian (ANC)
15:30-16:30 (at the CEC) Meeting with Mr Tigran Mukuchyan, Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission
Sunday, 6 December 2015
Observation of the referendum
Monday, 7 December 2015
9:00 Meeting of the delegation: discussion of a draft press release
Appendix 3: Statement of the ad hoc committee
Observation of the referendum on the new constitution in Armenia
07/12/2015
A cross-party delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was present in Armenia from 4 to 7 December 2015 to observe the referendum on constitutional reforms which took place on 6 December and led to a new constitution.
After a somewhat low-key campaign with little public debate and a calm referendum day, according to preliminary results, around 64% of those who voted did so in favour of the changes, thus meeting the quorum of 25% of the registered voters needed to approve the changes.
The relatively low turn-out, around 50% of the population, reflects the fact that the referendum was driven by political interests instead of the needs of the Armenian public and was perceived by many citizens as a vote of confidence in the government rather than on the many proposals for change. The two-and-a-half-year reform process was not inclusive enough, the parliament having only a few weeks to discuss the text and public debate being limited to two months, making it difficult for an agreement to be reached. Thus, the core of the constitutional change - the shift from a presidential to a parliamentary system - was understood by too many citizens as being a means for the current president to remain in power after the end of his second (and what would have been final) term.
Concerning the voting process, the delegation regrets that the authorities were not more concerned by the integrity of the process leading to a new constitution and that it must mention several problems, many of them already mentioned in previous PACE, Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR recommendations:
- the inaccuracy of the voting lists containing the names of many people residing permanently abroad or even deceased, leading to claims that these identities were usurped by people who then voted several times;
- allegations of large-scale organized vote buying and carousel voting as well as pressure on voters;
- the media playing field was once again not a level one and the political parties were not able to fulfil their duties of informing and motivating the public;
- the misuse of administrative resources by executive bodies;
- allegations of pressure on, and attempts to corrupt, election officials;
- shortcomings in the training of precinct election officials, particularly during counting;
- the lack of mobile voting effectively excluded disabled citizens from the process.
The delegation urges the authorities to address these issues in order to build trust in the voting process and in politics in general to ensure a genuinely democratic future for Armenia.
While in Armenia, the delegation met leaders and representatives of parliamentary groups and parties, the Chairperson of the CEC, representatives of civil society and the media as well as OSCE/ODIHR experts.
Appendix 3 – Ad hoc committee for the observation of the early parliamentary elections in “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (24 April 2016, to be confirmed)
(open)List of members
Chairperson: Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC)
Group of the European People’s Party (EPP/CD)
- Viorel Riceard BADEA, Romania
- David BAKRADZE, Georgia
- Elena CENTEMERO, Italy
- Iryna GERASHCHENKO, Ukraine
- Denis JACQUAT, France
- Frank J. JENSSEN, Norway *
- Inese LĪBIŅA-EGNERE, Latvia
- Joe O’REILLY, Ireland
- Yves POZZO di BORGO, France
- Attila TILKI, Hungary
Substitutes
…
Socialist Group (SOC)
- Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria *
- Marit MAJ, Netherlands
- Josette DURRIEU, France
- Predrag SEKULIĆ, Montenegro
- Maryvonne BLONDIN, France
- Mogens JENSEN, Denmark
- Saša MAGAZINOVIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Substitutes
…
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
- Doris FIALA, Switzerland*
- Eerik-Niiles KROSS, Estonia
Substitutes
- Carles JORDANA MADERO, Andorra
- Hendrik DAEMS, Belgium
- Alain DESTEXHE, Belgium
- Andrea RIGONI, Italy
European Conservatives Group (EC)
- Tom PACKALÉN, Finland*
- Dominik TARCZYNSKI, Poland
Substitutes
- Mark PRITCHARD, United Kingdom
- Ingebjørg GODSKESEN, Norway
- Daniel MILEWSKI, Poland
- Iwona ARENT, Poland
Group of the Unified European Left (UEL)
- Ioanneta KAVVADIA, Greece
Substitutes
- Andrej HUNKO, Germany
Rapporteurs AS/MON (ex officio)
- Lise CHRISTOFFERSEN, Norway*
- Valeriu GHILETCHI, Republic of Moldova*
Secretariat
…
* members of the pre-election delegation