Venice Commission conclusion on Azerbaijan referendum "far from reality" - presidential administration head
BAKU. Sept 26 (Interfax) - The conclusion by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe was made without prior discussion with Azerbaijan and does not reflect the real state of affairs, the Head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev, told reporters on Monday.
"My attitude towards their conclusion is negative because it is far from the reality. They held no discussions with us. We were not shown their document, and they made the decision without discussing it with us, and released this made-to-order conclusion," Mehdiyev said.
"The country is developing, and the referendum is held in accordance with this," the head of the Azeri presidential administration said.
It was reported earlier that in its preliminary conclusion the CoE Venice Commission disapproved of the constitutional changes being proposed by the Azeri authorities because they disagree with the European constitutional legacy. The commission said that the proposed amendments seriously upset the balance between the branches of government and give the president of Azerbaijan unprecedented powers.
The experts of the commission said the extension of the presidential mandate from five to seven years was unjustified, given the already strong positions of the head of state.