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Lawmaker from the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Mikayel Melkumyan on Monday defended his faction’s decision not to take part in the election of the Constitutional Court judges.

The parliament is set to elect new members to Armenia’s highest court at today’s sitting. The government has nominated Edgar Shatiryan as a Constitutional Court judge, the president’s nominee for the post is Artur Vagharshyan, while the General Assembly of Judges has named Yervand Khundkaryan as its candidate.

Addressing the parliament, Melkumyan said the election is based on “shaky foundations” following the adoption of controversial draft constitutional amendments.

“But the most interesting factor for me is the following: two years have passed since the revolution, but the judicial system fails to serve either the public or business interests. In other words, there has been a revolution and there are tendencies to eliminate systemic corruption, but the judiciary seems to an island, and I do not understand what is going on there,” the deputy said.

He noted that there have been corruption risks in the judicial system for decades, but after the 2018 revolution the law enforcement agencies vowed to crack down on the corrupt practices in courts. However, according to the MP, no breakthrough has been achieved so far.

“I just want to understand what will change if one judge is replaced by another? Will the accepted practice in the judiciary disappear immediately after the arrival of new judges or will a new vacuum be created instead? Let’s understand that courts avoid hearing the appeals of the opposite side, preventing the country from developing,” the MP stressed.

Melkumyan also blamed the current state of the judicial system for the lack of investments to Armenia.

"What does an investor want?" He makes investments, thinking that if a problem arises, he will be able to file a lawsuit. But what if courts in Armenia fail to hear the case? As for us, we remain consistent in our stance and will not take part in this election. This issue is vulnerable in legal and political terms, thus we remain committed to our approaches," Melkumyan added.