A/HRC/21/32 D. Measures taken by the Government to meet the demands and aspirations of the Syrian people 39. In paragraph 11 (a) of its resolution 19/22, the Human Rights Council urged the Syrian authorities to respect the demands and aspirations of the Syrian people. It should be recalled that the six-point plan and the communiqué of the Action Group were aimed at facilitating an inclusive Syrian-led political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people. On 7 June 2012, in a briefing to the General Assembly and the Security Council, the Joint Special Envoy stated that the plan had not been implemented and that meaningful political dialogue was therefore not possible. 40. During the period under review, the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic announced additional initiatives within the framework of political and governance reforms that it considered to be in pursuit of political pluralism and a democratic political process. Following the referendum of 26 February 2012, parliamentary elections were held on 7 May, and a new Government was appointed on 23 June. 41. The Government referred to a comprehensive national dialogue that it had launched in mid-2011, reportedly to reach a peaceful national solution. According to the Government, some parties continued to reject dialogue. It had nevertheless pursued its reform efforts, stating that the newly appointed national unity Government included a spectrum of national opposition members who rejected the use of weapons and were against foreign intervention. Furthermore, the Government pointed out that an opposition leader was acting as the Deputy Prime Minister, while another one had been appointed Minister to the newly-established Ministry of National Reconciliation to follow up on all the problems caused by the recent crisis and to find appropriate solutions in various fields. 42. The Government reported that it was carrying out democratic and comprehensive political, economic and social reforms, while prioritizing the issue of human rights. It stated that these reforms were aimed at achieving the demands of the people through elections and dialogue. It added that, within the framework of such reforms, it had revised the majority of laws in compliance with international standards, such as Election Law No. 101 (2011) and Political Parties Law No. 100 (2011), and abolished the Emergency Law and the State Security Court. The Government stressed that it adopted new laws, such as a law regulating peaceful demonstration, while taking into account international standards in the relevant fields. 43. The Government also referred to amendments made to the Constitution, which was approved through a referendum in February 2012. The amendments, according to the Government, included significant changes such as the abolition of article VIII of the Constitution, which articulated the role of the Baath Party in the leadership of the State and society, in addition to other paragraphs, taking into account reforms in the field of human rights and the State’s international obligations and commitments. 44. The Government reported that it had introduced a new election system consistent with international standards, ensuring transparency, integrity and equal representation for all segments of society. It asserted that the new electoral system guarantees the rights to freedom of expression, opinion and peaceful assembly, and of belonging to political parties in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. According to the Government, 18 political parties took part in the elections, which reportedly represented a twofold increase in the number of licensed political parties. The Government pointed out that 5,186,957 citizens (51.26 per cent of the electorate) had voted freely in 15 electoral districts despite the exceptional circumstances on the ground and attempts to disrupt the electoral process by “terrorist armed groups”. 11