I Propose Constitutional Court Judges to Familiarize Themselves with the Early Retirement Bill: Avinyan

I propose the judges of the Constitutional Court to take another look at the bill regarding early retirement. This was stated today, on November 20, by Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan during a conversation with reporters, referring to the observation that Constitutional Court members are not particularly enthusiastic about this draft, even declaring that it is insulting to them.

When asked whether the authorities might pursue constitutional amendments to resolve the existing crisis in the Constitutional Court, Avinyan responded, “Constitutional amendments may be on our agenda, but I do not believe that they should be linked solely to this one local issue. These reforms should undergo comprehensive, inclusive, and participatory discussions so that we understand where we have problems and what solutions are proposed.”

Journalists were also interested in when the authorities realized there was a crisis within the Constitutional Court, as this had not been spoken about initially. He replied, “I cannot pinpoint a day and hour, but gradually this crisis matured. This crisis has been inherently present from the beginning, as the issues surrounding the election of the president of the Constitutional Court have never been off the agenda and have not been resolved, as has certain additional information that has emerged related to that process.”

It should be noted that this bill proposes that members of the Constitutional Court resign early while retaining their salary and later their pension.