Hrayer Tovmasyan Requested to Summon the President of Armenia as a Witness Regarding the Election Results Dispute

Constitutional Court judge Hrayer Tovmasyan has requested to summon the President of Armenia, Armen Sargsyan, as a witness at the session concerning the dispute over the election results to clarify why June 20 was chosen as the election date. According to Armenpress, Tovmasyan made this statement during the Constitutional Court’s session on July 9.

Tovmasyan presented three proposals or motions. "The first pertains to the President of the Republic regarding the circumstances under which he decided to set the election date for June 20. The attendees cannot answer that question, but the issue has been raised in at least three applications," he stated.

The judge expects clarification from the President on the basis for designating June 20 as the election date, which was previously announced by the Prime Minister. "I request to summon the President of the Republic as a witness in this case to provide answers to these questions, as he had a small discretion to determine the elections within 30-45 days after the Prime Minister's position became vacant," Tovmasyan added, noting that this proposal is due to the issue being raised in submissions.

He requested that this motion be made an object of examination. It was decided that Tovmasyan’s presented motions would be discussed by the judges in the consultation room after 18:00 in a routine manner. Tovmasyan indicated that if they are not examined at that time, he would not participate in further discussions on the matter, deeming it a violation of the law.

The parties involved also expressed their positions regarding the issue, with responses provided as well. After hearing the parties' proposals, motions, and views of the judges concerning the case documentation, the Constitutional Court made the following decision: initial explanations will be given by the applicants according to the order of submissions registered with the court, followed by the responses, related respondents, the prosecutor’s office, the police, the Television and Radio Commission, and finally a third party. After each party's explanation, the opposing party and third parties will be allowed to ask questions.

The Constitutional Court will address the parties' motions after examining the materials and listening to the parties' explanations and questions during the trial. The established duration for explanations will serve as a guideline for the parties.

"The Constitutional Court will work until 18:00 today, but we can also work on Saturdays and Sundays. On weekends and the following days, the trial will start at 10:00, and it may last beyond 18:00," stated the President of the Constitutional Court, Arman Dilanyan.

Surens Grigoryan from the ruling Civil Contract party, involved as a third party in the case, remarked, "Hrayer Tovmasyan pointed out that it is crucial to determine whether the President was actually under pressure regarding the resolution of this case. In the same vein, we could summon any state body that participated in the electoral process and inquire if they were under pressure or not. I believe that if we proceed with this line of reasoning, the examination of the case could take not 15 days, but years, and moreover, I do not see any significant circumstances subject to clarification for resolving this case."