Constitutional Court 'capable of averting' future catastrophes - advocate

A lawyer for the opposition bloc led by the Second President Robert Kocharyan on Wednesday reiterated his call on the Constitutional Court for a closer study into their appeal challenging the results of the June 20 snap parliamentary elections.

Speaking before the high court at today’s hearing, Aram Vardevanyan said they do not find that the elections reflect the true will of the citizens of Armenia. The member of Armenia Alliance accused the Central Electoral Committee (CEC) of “misrepresenting” the outcomes.

“My thesis is that the Constitutional Court is the only body which is authoritized, competent and able to evaluate the entire chain of election irregularities,” he said, blaming the ruling political force for aggressive behavior.

Vardevanyan also urged the Constituional Court to evaluate the police presence at the pre-election campaign rallies, noting that Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party attracted more police officers than other political forces.

He further called the high court’s attention to the “legal and political consequences” of a single political group’s overwhelming presence in parliament (1/3 or 3/5 of the mandate) in the past three-year period.

“Such consequences will no longer repeat themselves in the history of the Republic of Armenia, and I can say that the Constitutional Court must and can be a guarantor of my thesis. The monarchy and the single-party government is not just knocking at the door of the Republic of Armenia, high court! It is a reality,” he said, re-emphasizing the Constitutional Court's power to revise, and ensure the supremacy of, the organic law.

“We are facing extremely dangerous challenges also in this period, and I am confident that the respectable judges of the high court are not only high court judges but also citizens of the Republic of Armenia, who similarly see the real picture. The Constitutional Court is capable of averting new catastrophes, new possible concessions, and new documents and actions beyond any comprehension. It contains also a political component. But unlike all other periods, the political component this time is directly interrelated to the security component,” he added.

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