Expert: The new RA Constitution shall affirmatively authorize the same-sex marriage

 According to European standards, same-sex marriage in the new Constitution of Armenia should be authorized. It was said by a member of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), Christoph Grabenvarter at the press conference in Yerevan on August 25.

According to him, the Venice Commission in its proposals noted that the 34th and the 15th paragraph of the draft Constitution should not be construed as a ban on same-sex marriages. "It was a reminder that, according to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, same-sex marriages should be allowed", - he said. At the same time, Grabenvarter noted that the proposal is not an infringement of the right to polygamy, a traditional family.

According to the 15th article of the draft Constitution, the family as the natural and fundamental group unit of society, being the base of conservation and reproduction of the population is under the special protection and defense of the State. According to the 34th article of the Constitution, men and women of lawful age have the right to marriage and the family, and in the course of a marriage, a divorce, having equal rights.

To recall that the Constitutional Reform Commission approved the draft of the constitutional reforms on August 20 with attached justifications and presented to the President of Armenia. Serzh Sargsyan on August 21 sent the draft reform to the Parliament. Starting from the next week, the President plans to hold meetings with the representatives of the political forces of the country on approaches enshrined in the draft constitutional changes.