«Ժողովուրդ». Prosecutors May Be Elected Through Extraordinary Competition

Today, the National Assembly will hold an extraordinary session, which includes a draft law on amendments and additions to the law on the Prosecutor's Office. The proposal, put forth by MPs Anna Karapetyan and Vladimir Vardanyan from the ‘My Step’ faction, suggests formalizing the possibility of electing prosecutors through extraordinary competitions.

The issue stems from the fact that according to the first part of Article 38 of the law on the Prosecutor's Office, an open competition is conducted by the qualification commission of the Prosecutor's Office once a year, typically in January. The lawmakers emphasize the urgency of allowing extraordinary competitions due to the continuous increase in criminal cases, which have led to prosecutors being overburdened.

Furthermore, the proposal indicates that since 2008, there has been almost no actual increase in prosecutorial positions. In 2008, it was planned to have 337 prosecutorial positions, while as of May 15, 2019, there are only 351 positions available.

As of June 1 of this year, a decision by the Prime Minister has set the maximum number of positions at 726, increasing it by 73, with the majority expected to be filled specifically by prosecutors. Consequently, there is a pressing need to conduct an extraordinary open competition, whereas the current law allows for only one such event to be held annually.

The full article can be read in today’s issue of the newspaper.