Wings of Unity: Following Constitutional Court`s verdict on  elections, Armenia enter unprecedentedly tense period of domestic  politics

ArmInfo.  Following the Constitutional Court's July 4 verdict on the opposition's appeals  challenging the results of Armenia's parliamentary elections, the  country will enter an unprecedentedly tense period of domestic  politics, according to David Ananyan, a member of the Wings of Unity  party and former Chairman of the State Revenue Committee (SRC) of  Armenia.

According to him, the issue of public trust in the Constitutional  Court is not simply a legal or procedural matter. Ananyan is  confident that it has a clear political basis. "The current  Constitutional Court was formed under the current government and with  the decisive participation of the ruling political majority.   Moreover, on various occasions, this court has already demonstrated a  willingness to make decisions that are politically acceptable to the  government. Therefore, the naive expectation that the Constitutional  Court will act in this case completely independently, outside of the  political context, and solely from the standpoint of legal logic, is,  at the very least, unrealistic," a member of the Wings of Unity party  wrote on his Facebook page. However, according to the politician,  this does not rule out the possibility that the Constitutional Court  could still decide to annul the election results and call new ones.  "But this shouldn't be perceived as a sudden awakening of the  Constitutional Court's independence. Clearly, such a decision would  mean one thing: this scenario is currently based on the current  government's own political calculations. New elections could become  not a defeat for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, but an opportunity  for another political reshuffle, an attempt to secure a  constitutional majority, shed the heavy burden associated with the  legitimacy of these elections, and redirect the political field in a  direction more favorable to him," Ananyan explained.

For this reason, the politician noted, all political forces must  emerge from the mentality of anticipation in the coming days. Ananyan  explained that by July 4, they must consider all possible scenarios  for the Constitutional Court's decision: a rejection, a partial  resolution of the issues raised, annulment of the election results,  the appointment of new ones, or a deepening of the political crisis.  And, as the party member noted, each scenario must be supported by a  clear agenda, a logic of action, and a willingness to communicate  honestly with the public. "After July 4, Armenia will enter an  unprecedentedly tense domestic political phase. Essentially, this  will not be the end of the trial, but the beginning of a new, much  more complex, tense, and eventful phase. There is no longer room for  surprises. Those who fail to prepare for all scenarios before July 4  may find themselves in the minority after that day. And most  importantly, all this must be done calmly, with public  responsibility, and without any illusions," Ananyan concluded.

As a reminder, on June 19, seven political forces filed applications  with the Constitutional Court of Armenia demanding that the results  of the parliamentary elections held on June 7 be declared invalid. On  June 21, the Constitutional Court decided to consolidate all cases  into a single proceeding. The first hearing of the Constitutional  Court of Armenia began on June 26. The court concluded its  consideration of the opposition forces' application on July 1. The  deadline for the court's decision is July 4.