Strong Armenia party leader and business tycoon Samvel Karapetyan has announced that he is renouncing his Russian and Cypriot citizenships to be eligible for office in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
He made the announcement during a court hearing in a case involving alleged money laundering and public calls for a coup, which he denies. The criminal proceedings were initiated last year, and Karapetyan was initially jailed before being released on bail. He has since been under house arrest.
Karapetyan told the court that he has begun the process of renouncing his foreign citizenships.
Constitutional requirements for a prime minister in Armenia include having resided in the country for at least the previous four years and holding exclusively Armenian citizenship during that period.
The party has said that if it wins the election, it will initiate legislative amendments to change the relevant requirement and enable Karapetyan’s election. Narek Karapetyan, the billionaire’s nephew, is leading the party list in the elections.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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