Vahram Avetisyan Considers Gaining 80 Votes in the National Assembly Unrealistic, Withdraws Candidacy for Constitutional Court Judge

The candidate for the Constitutional Court judge, Vahram Avetisyan, has submitted a request to withdraw his consent to be elected as a judge. He announced this on his Facebook page.

Vahram Avetisyan's candidacy was presented during the government meeting on July 23. His post is as follows:

“I would like to reiterate that one of the paramount challenges of our state is the establishment of a judicial authority filled with independent, accountable, and predictable judges who enjoy authority in society and professionalism. This is an issue without which the state and society have no prospects for development. My acceptance of the proposal to be nominated as a candidate for the Constitutional Court judge was motivated by the desire to contribute to the resolution of these issues.

However, following meetings and discussions with members of the ‘My Step’ parliamentary group, it became clear to me that the views and perceptions of some deputies regarding the role of the Constitutional Court, the depoliticization and independence of the judges do not align with my perspectives and understandings, and in some instances, are unacceptable to me.

Therefore, under such circumstances, I consider it unrealistic to gain 80 votes in the National Assembly, and participating in the further processes of being elected as a judge of the Constitutional Court is unwarranted. Hence, today I submitted a request to the President of the National Assembly to withdraw my consent for the position of the Constitutional Court judge.

At the same time, I would like to thank the Government for nominating my candidacy for the position of the Constitutional Court judge, and I wish a successful course for the judicial reforms being implemented in the Republic of Armenia, for the benefit of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia and our Motherland.”