The rush in rector elections may create issues: 'Fact'

“The National Polytechnic University of Armenia is currently engaged in the elections for a new rector. On March 1, a session of the University’s Board of Trustees took place concerning the agenda for the vacant rector position. Of the six candidates (two of whom declared self-withdrawal), Gohar Vardanyan, the Deputy Rector and head of the university administration, received the most votes in the first round.

According to the voting results and the election procedure, the second round of voting for the rector will be held on Monday with Gohar Vardanyan, who garnered the maximum votes, participating. To be elected rector, Gohar Vardanyan needs to receive at least 50% + 1 of the votes from the Board of Trustees members.

David Ghazaryan, an associate professor at the Chair of Information Technologies and Automation, who also participated in the competition for the rector position in the first round, told 'Fact' that the entire process has been announced and conducted in a rushed manner.

“On January 22, the Board of Trustees changed the election procedure for the rector, and on January 27, announced the competition with the election day set for March 1. Although the provisions of the procedure have been maintained, the haste raises doubts. During this time, I have voiced my concerns regarding procedural violations I noticed. Specifically, I refer to point 16 of the rector election procedure, which states that all members of the Board of Trustees should have received the complete package of documents seven working days in advance. That point can be interpreted differently by various members of the Board of Trustees at their discretion. It was probably done on purpose.

Additionally, the day of the election revealed how many minutes the candidates should speak and present their visions for the university's development. Considering these circumstances, I have stated before the elections that I will petition the court. Soon, a claim will be submitted to the court,” says Mr. Ghazaryan, adding that the votes received by the candidates in the first round were predictable.

Regarding the second round of voting, David Ghazaryan hopes that a rector will not be elected at this stage, the competition will be annulled, and that a new election can be organized once the new Law on Higher Education and Science comes into force, a new composition of the Board of Trustees is established, and a new procedure for the rector's election is adopted. “It seems as though the election is being rushed before the new Law on Higher Education and Science goes into effect,” notes David Ghazaryan. This was reported by the newspaper 'Fact'.