Artak Davtyan Cannot Be Considered Appointed as Chief of Staff Until March 19, Says Gayane Meloyan

Constitutional expert Gayane Meloyan posted on her Facebook page: "Considering the ruling party's urgency to appoint Artak Davtyan as the Chief of Staff at the earliest, I find it necessary to remind that they were guided by the '5+3' formula when they 'dismissed' Onik Gasparyan (whether I agree with it or not), therefore, their 'celebration' should at least be postponed until March 20.

What does the '5+3' formula suggest? According to part 3 of Article 35.1 of the Law on 'Military Service and the Status of Military Servants', if the Prime Minister does not accept the objection of the President of the Republic within a five-day period, the President, after the expiration of the five-day period, signs the decree or applies to the Constitutional Court within three days.

Today, March 11, the President of the Republic returned the Prime Minister's proposal to appoint Artak Davtyan as Chief of Staff with objections. On the same day, the Prime Minister's justifications regarding the President's objections were received. Subsequently, the President announced that he would not sign the draft decree and would not apply to the Constitutional Court. Therefore, the deadline set by the '5+3' formula expires on March 20, and until March 19, Artak Davtyan cannot be considered legally appointed as Chief of Staff."