By Gayane Saribekian
YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Members of the Constitutional Court on Monday, October 14, rejected lawmakers’ calls for the dismissal of its chairman, Hrayr Tovmasyan, who is increasingly at loggerheads with Armenia’s political leadership.
The Armenian parliament appealed to the court on October 4 with a resolution drafted by its pro-government majority and endorsed by Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan.
It denounced, among other things, Tovmasyan’s handling of appeals against the legality of coup charges brought against the arrested former President Robert Kocharyan. The resolution also said that Tovmasyan cannot make impartial decisions on this case because of his past membership in the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK).
Tovmasyan would have been replaced if at least six of the Constitutional Court’s nine judges had voted against him.
In the event, the high court refused to even hold detailed discussions and vote on Tovmasyan’s future. It did not immediately explain the rebuff or reveal how many judges backed it.