Simonyan on Candidates for Minister of Justice

Yesterday and this morning, the Civil Contract party discussed the names of new candidates for the Minister of Justice. The President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, made this statement during a briefing with journalists in parliament. He did not wish to disclose details or announce any names.

Regarding the question of whether it is essential for the candidate to be a member of the Civil Contract party, Simonyan noted that this question should also be reconsidered. “I believe we should allow candidates to be presented who are not currently members of the Civil Contract party or are not members at all. I think that is the right decision; we have many good experiences like this,” he stated.

When asked why it has not been possible to finalize a candidate at the meeting of the Civil Contract leadership so far, Simonyan said that about 80 percent of the presented candidates come and declare that they are satisfied with their current positions and wish to continue their work. He added that, in any case, all candidates are discussed at the meetings regardless of whether they have given their consent or not.

Addressing the question of whether there is a shortage of personnel in the Civil Contract party, and whether this is why they are looking for candidates outside the party, Simonyan noted that there is a shortage of human resources in all sectors, even in small enterprises, and now we are talking about such an important area as justice. “If we view it from the perspective of the peace agreement, it is clear that we need a specialist who is also related to that agreement,” Simonyan noted. He added that, in his opinion, it is mandatory for the minister to have a legal education.