Hayrikyan intends to ask constitutional court to postpone poll for two weeks

YEREVAN, February 8. /ARKA/. Paruyr Hayrikyan, one of eight contenders in Armenian presidential race, intends to ask the Constitutional Court to postpone the poll for two weeks, Novosti-Armenia reported today referring to Hayrikyan’s election campaign coordinator, Manya Ayvazyan.  

Paruyr Hayrikyan was shot in the shoulder close to his home in the capital Yerevan on Thursday night. Doctors removed the bullet on Friday and said his life was not in danger.

Under the Constitution, the poll may be postponed for two weeks in the event of the insurmountable obstacles for one of candidates. If these insurmountable obstacles are not removed, new elections are announced and a new polling is scheduled for the 40th day after the expiration of the mentioned two-week term.    

Hayrikyan initially decided to file such a request to the Constitutional Court, but at a news conference held on February 5, he changed his mind. Today, however, he told journalists that he is not able to run his election campaign, since doctors recommend him not to do this, and his campaign coordinator, Manya Ayvazyan told journalists that the Constitution and the Electoral Code contradict each other.  

The postponement request may be filed no later than eight days before the polling date, but the Constitutional Court doesn’t work on Saturday and Sunday.  

The police and the National Security Service have launched their investigation into the incident. The gunman, if tracked down, will be charged with an attempted assassination of a political and public activist with intention to stop his activities. 

  

Today, the National Security Service reported about detention of two suspects.--0---