It Is the Constitutional Court's Turn to Prove Its Worth, Says Edmond Marukyan

Accordingly, it is now the turn of the Constitutional Court to prove that it is ultimately an institutional body that administers constitutional justice and embodies state thinking. This was stated by Edmond Marukyan, the leader of the 'Bright Armenia' faction in the National Assembly, on his Facebook page.

“Moments ago, the office of the President of the Republic, Armen Sarkissian, issued a statement announcing that the deadline for appealing to the Constitutional Court has not yet passed, and the President will appeal to the Constitutional Court, challenging the constitutionality of the legislative provisions based on which he has been presented by the Prime Minister with a proposal to dismiss the Chief of Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Onik Gasparyan, from his position.

According to Article 31, Part 1 of the Law on the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia, after accepting a case for review, the Constitutional Court may suspend the operation of the legal act or provision that is being contested, upon the request of the applicant or on its own initiative, until the completion of the judicial examination of the case, if failing to make a suspension decision could lead to irreversible or severe consequences for one of the parties or for the public.

This means that if the Constitutional Court accepts the President's appeal for review, it can suspend the operation of the contested legislative provisions, meaning that the legal act regarding the dismissal of Chief of Staff Onik Gasparyan will not come into force, and therefore, the Chief of Staff will not be dismissed from his position at least until the conclusion of the court proceedings in the Constitutional Court.

Moreover, it is evident that the dismissal of the Chief of Staff carries severe consequences not only for the Armenian Armed Forces but also for ensuring relative stability throughout the country.

Thus, it is the Constitutional Court's turn to prove that it is ultimately an institutional body that administers constitutional justice and embodies state thinking.