Fact: New Disputes Between President and Prime Minister

«Fact» newspaper reports: “In accordance with Article 166, Part 1, and Article 213 of the Constitution, the President of Armenia has proposed a new candidate for the vacant position of a judge at the Constitutional Court. The issue of selecting a constitutional court judge will be discussed by the National Assembly on May 29.

Armen Sarkissian has presented the candidacy of Arthur Vagarshyan, head of the Chair of Theory and History of Law and State at Yerevan State University, a Doctor of Legal Sciences and a professor, for the vacant position of a Constitutional Court member.

This situation may raise new tensions between the Prime Minister and the President. The ruling majority in the National Assembly had a favored candidate, Vahe Grigoryan, who represents the victims of the March 1 case, and it has repeatedly hinted that no matter who the President proposes as a candidate, they will reject it.

Vahe Grigoryan was among the eight candidates proposed by the President for the vacant position of a Constitutional Court judge, but Armen Sarkissian preferred another individual, thus opposing the parliamentary majority.

In early April, the parliament rejected the candidate proposed by Armen Sarkissian, and many assumed that the President might present the candidate preferred by the Prime Minister to the parliament. However, it seems that the disagreements between Armen Sarkissian and Nikol Pashinyan are indeed deep-rooted, and the issue of the potential judge’s candidacy is merely an occasion. For example, it has been noted that Sarkissian and Pashinyan have not participated in any events together recently, and it seems there has not been a publicly covered meeting between the Prime Minister and the President in a long time.

During the revolution and leading up to the snap parliamentary elections, Armen Sarkissian played a significant stabilizing role in essentially facilitating the implementation of Nikol Pashinyan’s political agenda. It seemed that a wonderful opportunity had been created to combine Pashinyan’s high legitimacy and revolutionary energy with Armen Sarkissian’s international connections and experience.

However, the revolutionary team followed a different logic, and as a result of political maximalism, Armen Sarkissian was never integrated into the so-called new government. Moreover, his successful foreign visits became a real cause for jealousy for the parliamentary majority. In the context of the natural decline in Nikol Pashinyan's ratings, the revolutionary team apparently sees the current President as a real alternative and competitor, although, to be fair, Armen Sarkissian has not provided such occasions. Additionally, recent surveys show that citizens are more satisfied with the work of Armen Sarkissian than with that of Nikol Pashinyan.

In recent months, there have been two significant events that have further highlighted the disputes between Nikol Pashinyan and Armen Sarkissian.

The full article is available in today’s issue of the newspaper.