Vladimir Vardanyan elected Constitutional Court president; Shatiryan resigns
- Published
- Place
- Yerevan, Armenia
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
On 6 November Armenia’s Constitutional Court judges elected Vladimir Vardanyan as president after a second round of secret voting. Vice-president Edgar Shatiryan, the other candidate, promptly resigned as vice-president while remaining a judge. He implied government pressure on fellow justices; Vardanyan, a former Civil Contract MP appointed a judge in March 2026, denied it. The post had been vacant since 12 October, when Arman Dilanyan’s six-year term ended; Dilanyan remains a judge. An earlier vote on 14 October with the same two candidates had failed to produce a winner.
Analysis
Refreshing the Court’s presidency — central to constitutional review — comes amid mistrust between the ruling majority and the opposition over judicial independence. Shatiryan’s protest resignation and disputed pressure claims put the election under political scrutiny. Vardanyan’s path from a Civil Contract committee chair to the Court in March 2026 fuels the debate on proximity to power versus judicial autonomy. For readers the institutional stake is clear: who leads the Court for the next six years, and with what perceived credibility among citizens and parties.
Possible consequences
Coming Court rulings and any parliamentary or international reactions will show whether tensions ease.
