Judge: Constitutional Court head’s post not appealing at all

Panorama, Armenia
Sept 24 2020

Judge of Armenia’s Constitutional Court Arman Dilanyan will not stand as a candidate for the top court chairman, he told reported on Thursday, adding no one has been nominated for the post so far.

"At the moment, there are no candidates, we have not yet reached the stage of nomination or self-nomination," the judge said.

To the remark that according to some media reports he will be the new chairman of the Constitutional Court based on the scenario of his fellow judge Vahe Grigoryan, who named Yervand Khundkaryan as his main challenger, Dilanyan urged reporters not to believe such “fabrications” spread by some “sources” of the high court.

"I believe that the office of a Constitutional Court judge is the best position for lawyers to manifest their professional skills. I feel very good in that position and I hope to continue my service here,” he said.

“In my opinion, the position of the Constitutional Court chairman is not appealing at all. I can't say how things will unfold later, but I believe it’s very difficult to combine the professional work of a judge of the Constitutional Court, which implies a great responsibility and is time-consuming, with the position of the Constitutional Court head, which presupposes representative, administrative and organizational functions. It is much more comfortable to serve as a judge of the Constitutional Court," Dilanyan said.

The Constitutional Court held a working meeting on Wednesday, with the election of its new head on the agenda. However, the session did not finish due to the end of the working day. It is set to continue today.

A candidate nominated by judges or by self-nomination, who has received two-thirds of the votes of judges of the Constitutional Court, may be elected chairman, and in the case when one candidate is nominated, s/he shall be elected by a majority of the total number of judges of the Constitutional Court.

If none of the two or more nominated candidates by the results of the vote receives the required number of votes, then a second round of elections shall be held within five days, where two candidates who receive the majority of votes in the first round shall participate. The candidate who receives the majority of votes of judges of the Constitutional Court shall be considered elected after the second round of elections.


Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS