‘Fact’. Authorities Aim to Abolish the Constitutional Court as an Institution

‘Fact’ newspaper writes: The ongoing processes surrounding the Constitutional Court have become one of the primary issues on the Armenian political platform, if not the most crucial.

Despite the fact that the authorities are undertaking every possible and impossible means to get rid of Constitutional Court President Hrayr Tovmasyan, their initiatives have not yielded the desired results. We have previously reported that Nikol Pashinyan has held several closed discussions attended by international experts and constitutional scholars.

According to the newspaper’s sources, as a result of these meetings, a preliminary political decision has already been made, whereby it will be possible not only to dispose of Tovmasyan but also to completely eliminate the Constitutional Court as an institution.

It is no coincidence that pro-government expert circles have recently been increasingly circulating this thesis. Such a tactic is common in international practice; through the so-called “Overton window” principle, ideas pleasing to the authorities are gradually introduced into public discourse, becoming more common over time, and eventually taking on the form of clear legislation.

Thus, according to ‘Fact’ newspaper’s information, the provision regarding the elimination of the Constitutional Court as an institution from the Armenian judicial system is expected to be discussed more frequently in the near future, and it seems that this will only be prominently announced in the spring, followed by the introduction of the relevant draft for discussion.

Incidentally, one of the options is the unification of the powers of the Constitutional Court and the Court of Cassation, leading to the formation of a new Supreme Court. According to the newspaper’s sources, a referendum may also be held on this issue.

For more details, see today’s issue of the newspaper.