ArmInfo.The crisis around the Constitutional Court of Armenia is caused by the inertia inherited from earlier times. The lawmaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Arman Babajanyan has a similar opinion.
Speaking at the discussions on the situation around the Constitutional Court organized on November 16, the MP pointed out the importance of separating the roles, functions and powers of the Constitutional Court after the country's transition to the parliamentary form of government. In the new conditions, according to the MP, the role and place of the Constitutional Court is more than important, since this body is a deterrent in decision-making by the government and parliament. Babajanyan believes that in this situation the authorities themselves are not fully aware of the way out of this situation, which has become the reason for the ongoing crisis for a long time. The attitude of the parliament, which was a kind of appendage of the RA government, can be considered exactly the inertia of earlier times, and the role and place of the National Assembly was not perceived at the proper level. This is also evidenced by the sometimes absurd statements of some members of the Constitutional Court, especially against the background of the high level of legitimacy that the country's parliament currently has. In the same way, the entire judicial system, including the Constitutional Court, should have the same level of legitimacy, which will lead to the strengthening of democratic values, and increase confidence in the judicial system as such. In this situation, the deputy continued, the former authorities will do everything possible to maintain influence on the Constitutional Court.
Earlier in October of this year, RA Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan noted that a civilian way to resolve the crisis in the Constitutional Court is the early retirement of Constitutional Court judges. He emphasized that the Ministry of Justice had already drafted a bill that would soon be debated in the government and then sent to the National Assembly.
As ArmInfo previously reported, on September 14, the Armenian Constitutional Court rejected the consideration of the deprivation of authority of its head Hrayr Tovmasyan. At the meeting of the Constitutional Court in the case of Hrayr Tovmasyan, in addition to Tovmasyan himself, the recently elected judge Vahe Grigoryan was absent. The only judge to vote "for" the deprivation of Tovmasyan's authority was Felix Tokhyan. Even the second elected judge, Arman Dilanyan, voted against considering the question of depriving a judge of his powers.
On October 4, the National Assembly of Armenia with 98 votes in favor "1 vote against" adopted the appeal prepared by the parliamentary fraction of the "My Step" bloc to the Constitutional Court on the termination of the powers of Hrayr Tovmasyan. The initiative of the ruling party was initially supported by colleagues from the Bright Armenia faction. In a statement by the parliament, the Constitutional Court presented four grounds for terminating Tovmasyan's powers. First, he did not have the right to participate in the consideration of the Constitutional Court "the Kocharyan case", since it was connected not only with him, but also with the Republicans, in particular, with former President Serzh Sargsyan. Second, Tovmasyan is the godfather of lawyer Kocharian Aram Orbelian. Third, Tovmasyan's previous statements on the "March 1 case" give reason to consider his position partial. Fourth justification - Tovmasyan neglected all these circumstances and did not report the impossibility of his participation in the consideration of the "Kocharyan case".