Hayrikyan had more bases for applying to constitutional court week ago than now, expert says

YEREVAN, February 11. /ARKA/. Presidential contender, leader of National Self-Determination party Paruyr Hayrikyan had more bases for applying to constitutional court a week ago than now, director of the Institute of CIS Countries Armenian branch Alexander Markarov told Novosti-Armenia Agency. Hayrikyan who was wounded in a shooting on January 31, applied to the constitutional court Sunday to postpone the elections.

According to Armenia’s Constitution article N 52, presidential elections may be postponed for a two-week period if insurmountable obstacles occur on the way of any presidential nominee. If such obstacles are not eliminated within two-week time, new elections are scheduled and the vote is held on the fortieth day after expiry of the above two-week term.

The problem is whether the court will have sufficient bases for considering the obstacles unsurmountable, Markarov said. Formally, the bases were more solid a week ago (on February 5) when Hayrikyan decided not to apply, than now, the expert said.

According to Markarov, Hayrikyan’s application to the court under the current circumstances may look like an attempt to delay with unknown implications.

In commenting Hayrikyan’s call to two other contenders, Hrant Bagratyan and Raffi Hovanissian, to consolidate and run a joint candidate, the expert said it would be quite difficult to imagine those three candidates being able to unite on one platform.

“It is also difficult to imagine that, even if consolidated, they will be able, not to win, having in mind the current ratings, but, to say the least, to bring the situation to a run-off,”, Markarov said.

The rating of the given candidate is around 2% by definition, he said adding that possible changes will have no impact on the outcome or the procedure of the vote. 

The vote put-off case is to be considered in the constitutional court under a verbal procedure and the judgment is to be made within four days after the application is received. The court may consider circumstances insurmountable if they make it impossible for the candidate to continue his election campaign.

The next day after the assassination attempt on him Hayrikyan said he might be applying to the court, but on February 5 he made a statement that he would not be requesting a delay of the vote. However, three days later coordinator of Hayrikyan’s election campaign office Manya Ayvazyan said that he would apply to the court Sunday. The basis Hayrikyan gives is that he can’t run the campaign as doctors forbid him to do it.

On February 9, the politician pointed indirectly to another reason for postponement. In his letter to two other contenders Hrant Bagratyan and Raffi Hovanissian, Hayrikyan suggested consolidating the efforts and running a joint candidate. He stressed that if the vote is put off for 14 days, there will be time and an opportunity to unite on one platform. 

Armenian presidential elections will be held in Armenia on February 18. Eight nominees are running for president: current president Serzh Sargsyan, former prime minister and leader of Freedom party Hrant Bagratyan, former foreign minister and head of Heritage party Raffi Hovhannisyan, famous Soviet dissident and leader of National Self-Determination party Paruyr Hayrikyan, ex foreign minister of Karabakh Arman Melikyan, political scientist and head of Radio Hay Andrias Ghukasyan, philologist Vardan Sedrakyan and leader of National Consent party Aram Harutinyan. -0-