Meanwhile, RFE/RL also reports that Raffi Hovannisian, Armenia’s first Foreign Minister and an Armenian-American who has now taken Armenian citizenship, has also come out against proposed changes to the Armenian Constitution that will be put to the electorate in a referendum scheduled for November. Raffi Hovannisian also heads the Heritage Party as well as the Armenian Center for National and International Studies and the National Citizens’ Initiative.

In a written statement, the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party dismissed the proposed changes as a “collection of half-measures” and said the ruling regime lacks the legitimacy to amend the Armenian constitution in the first place.

“The crown of illegitimacy earned by our country’s authorities beginning ten years ago and cresting in 2003 is not commensurate even with the lowest threshold required to posit constitutional amendments for an accountable public vote,” it said.

Zharangutyun also warned the authorities against rigging the upcoming referendum. “We have already crossed the final frontier of forging and being forged, deceiving and self-deceiving. The world is not dumb, and Armenia is not a gaming hall,” it said.

“Any breach or falsehood, whether during the campaign, on election day or in the counting, will strike a blow to the Republic of Armenia, its esteem and future, its every citizen,” added the statement.

The statement followed a late-night meeting on Monday of the party’s ruling board chaired by Hovannisian. It deals another blow to Kocharian’s and his governing coalition’s hopes to garner sufficient popular support for their draft amendments that are aimed at somewhat restricting sweeping powers enjoyed by the head of state.

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However, it was not clear whether Hovannisian will be urging supporters to take part in the referendum and vote against the amendments or to boycott it. A senior Zharangutyun member, Vartan Khachatrian, told RFE/RL that the party will clarify its position after negotiations with allied opposition groups represented in parliament.

Interesting days with the political temperature looking set to rise in the two months preceding the November referendum. Interestingly, ask most Armenians and they will speak very highly of Hovannisian and even suggest that he would make an ideal President for Armenia. Which is why, of course, both the current and the past president were so reluctant to grant him citizenship until 2001.

Incidently, an interview I recently held with Raffi Hovannisian on democracy building in the Republic of Armenia can be found online here while the RFE/RL report is here. A1 Plus carries the Heritage Party statement in full. In March, before the final ammendments were approved by the Council of Europe, Hovannisian’s ACNIS convened a round-table on constitutional and electoral code reform, the results of which can be read online here.