Official reception was organized on Thursday on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian Constitutional Court. The President of the Constitutional Court Hrayr Tovmasyan delivered remarks during the event.
“We should realize and definitely recognize that the Constitutional Court is not a political institution, and it is unacceptable to check the level of political confidence toward the Court. There can be no such practice,” Hrayr Tovmasyan said in his remarks.
In his words, the judiciary system is a specialized agency while its credibility is measured exclusively through the number of cases under consideration and the number of subjects participating in the proceedings.
“That is the only guarantee of trust,” Tovmasyan stressed, adding the judges who issue rulings just for pleasing someone may the next day rule against those people.
“Just remember, no one will ever bring independence on a tray . That is the case with states and institutions. It requires a struggle to get it,” the President of the Constitutional Court said. Tovmasyan also stressed that the judges of the Constitutional Court will never accept a decision for which they will feel ashamed anytime.
To note, earlier the Armenian parliament adopted a bill that envisages a possibility for CC judges to resign before the end of their mandate with several advantages, including a provision they will continue to receive their salaries and other benefits if they tender resignations. Since entering into force on December 27, 2019, no judge of the Court has applied for the scheme.
The authorities claim the new legislation remains voluntary and does not hinder the effective functioning of the Court, while opposition called the measure as 'legal bribe to judges', expressing concern the bill may be used as a tool by the political leadership to force the judges into resignation.