Suspend the Membership of Constitutional Court Members: The Bill is Ready

The "My Step" faction of the National Assembly has introduced a bill amending Article 213 of the transitional provisions of the Constitution of Armenia.

The bill proposes that the powers of Constitutional Court members who have served for more than 12 years be terminated, with new members appointed in their place.

The proposed amendment reads as follows:

Article 1. Article 213 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia of July 5, 1995, as amended on December 6, 2015, shall be revised to read:

“Article 213. Term of Office of Members (Judges) and the President of the Constitutional Court

1. The term of office of a member (judge) of the Constitutional Court who has been appointed until the enforcement of Chapter 7 of the Constitution and has served in the position of a member or judge of the Constitutional Court for a total of not less than 12 years shall be considered terminated, and their service shall end.

2. A member of the Constitutional Court appointed until the enforcement of Chapter 7 of the Constitution, whose service is not suspended under paragraph 1 of this article, shall continue to serve as a judge of the Constitutional Court until the completion of their 12-year term in that position, taking into account the duration of service as a member of the Constitutional Court prior to the enforcement of Chapter 7 of the Constitution.

3. After the enforcement of Chapter 7 of the Constitution, nominations for vacant positions of judges of the Constitutional Court shall be carried out successively by the Government, the President of the Republic, and the General Assembly of Judges. Nominations for vacant positions of judges of the Constitutional Court arising from paragraph 1 of this article shall be made within one month after the vacancy arises.

4. The term of office of the President of the Constitutional Court shall end. After the position of the President of the Constitutional Court becomes vacant, the President shall be elected following the procedure established by Article 166 of the Constitution, which shall be conducted after filling the vacancies arising based on paragraph 1 of this article.

Article 2. These amendments to the Constitution shall enter into force the day after their official publication.

The justification for the bill can be found here.