By Arshaluys Barseghyan
Detained Russian–Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan, who faces multiple charges in Armenia, was named prime ministerial candidate of his newly formed Strong Armenia party on February 12. The announcement sparked controversy due to his ineligibility for the role according to current legislation.
Under Armenia’s existing constitution, candidates for prime minister must exclusively hold Armenian citizenship and have resided in the country for the previous four years.
As someone holding multiple passports, Karapetyan does not meet these requirements. He has also not resided in Armenia for the last four years, making him not only ineligible to become prime minister but also to run for parliament in general.
Acknowledging Karapetyan’s ineligibility for the role in their statement on February 12 — featuring an AI-generated video message due to Karapetyan’s house arrest — his party announced plans to pursue constitutional changes that would allow him to assume office if they secure a majority in the June parliamentary elections.
“Twenty days after the elections, at the first session of the [parliament], we will introduce a legislative amendment that allows any person holding only Armenian citizenship to become the Prime Minister of Armenia. By that time, Samvel Karapetyan will be solely an Armenian citizen,” Narek Karapetyan, Samvel Karapetyan’s nephew, announced then.
