Watchdog

YEREVAN -- Armenia is set to hold a referendum on constitutional changes in April, in an attempt by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to remove a majority of judges at the country’s Constitutional Court.

President Armen Sarkisian signed a decree on February 9 setting April 5 as the date for the vote, three days after parliament voted to hold the referendum that would lead to the dismissal of seven of the court’s nine members installed before nationwide protests swept Pashinian to power in 2018.

The seven would be replaced by judges to be confirmed by the National Assembly in which Pashinian’s My Step bloc holds a majority.

The court's two other judges, who were appointed to their posts later, will keep their powers.

“On April 5, we will say "yes" to the Revolution, say "yes" to Freedom and slam the door on corruption,” Pashinian wrote on his Facebook page after Sarkisian signed the decree.

Pashinian has accused the seven judges of maintaining ties to Armenia’s former leadership and impeding reforms that he says are aimed at creating an independent judiciary.

His critics say the prime minister is seeking to gain undue control over the courts.

The chairman of the Constitutional Court, Hrair Tovmasian, was charged in December with abuse of power while he was serving as justice minister. He has denied the accusation as politically motivated.

Earlier in December, a controversial law gave Tovmasian and the six other Constitutional Court members financial incentives to resign before the end of their mandates.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has appointed his son Serdar to head the Ministry of Industry and Construction, state media in the gas-rich Central Asian nation reported on February 8.

His promotion comes less than a year after Serdar Berdymukhammedov, 38, assumed the post of a provincial governor.

His rapid rise has sparked speculation that the 62-year-old autocratic president is preparing him as a successor.

In his new job, Serdar Berdymukhammedov is likely to oversee the ambitious project of building a new capital from scratch for the central Ahal region, which he used to head.

Prior to becoming Ahal's governor, Serdar Berdymukhammedov served as Ahal's deputy governor and the deputy foreign minister.

He also currently holds a seat in parliament.

President Berdymukhammedov this week signed a decree allocating nearly $1.5 billion for imports of construction materials, equipment, and other items needed for the new city.

The Berdymukhammedov family comes from the Ahal region.

The move comes amid the government's policy of limiting imports against a backdrop of foreign currency shortages and depressed energy prices.

Berdymukhammedov, 62, has run the former Soviet republic since 2006, tolerating no dissent and becoming the center of an elaborate personality cult. Turkmen often refer to him as Arkadag (The Protector).

Government critics and human rights groups say Berdymukhammedov has suppressed dissent and made few changes in the secretive country since he came to power after the death of autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov.

Like his late predecessor, Berdymukhammedov has relied on subsidized prices for basic goods and utilities to help maintain his grip on power.

According to Human Rights Watch, Berdymukhammedov, "his relatives, and their associates control all aspects of public life, and the authorities encroach on private life."

With reporting by AFP and Reuters