Wounded Armenian presidential contender requests vote put-off
11.02.2013,
13:38
Candidate for Armenia’s president, leader of National Self-Determination party Paruyr Hayrikyan told journalists Sunday that he applied to the country’s constitutional court to postpone the elections for two weeks.
YEREVAN, February 11. /ARKA/. Candidate for Armenia’s president, leader of National Self-Determination party Paruyr Hayrikyan told journalists Sunday that he applied to the country’s constitutional court to postpone the elections for two weeks.
The politician was shot in his shoulder at the center of Yerevan on January 31, around 23:30, and was successfully operated the next day.
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.
In speaking about possible rejection of the application Hayrikyan said, “I don’t think that the constitutional court will make a fool of themselves”.
The case is considered under a verbal procedure and the judgment is to be made within four days after the application is received. The constitutional 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. -0-
