Opposition slams appointment of Pashinyan allies as new CEC, SJC chiefs
The parliamentary group of the opposition Hayastan alliance has denounced the appointment of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's allies as heads of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) and the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).
The Armenian parliament majority voted to elect Vahagn Hovakimyan, a former MP representing the ruling Civil Contract party, as CEC chairman and Karen Andreasyan, a former justice minister, as head of the SJC last week.
In a statement on Monday, the opposition faction claimed the appointment of the men closely tied to the government marked “another setback in democracy” in the country.
“The democratic norms require the appointment of truly independent, competent and apolitical candidates to serve in those agencies. Despite these requirements, one political team nominated and elected members of the same political team through formal procedures, securing their status as non-partisans before the elections,” the Hayastan faction said.
“This policy is obviously aimed at making the independent constitutional bodies serve the interests of one political force and completely undermining the guarantees of independence.
“It is disturbing that the international organizations, which defended democratic values in the country, remain silent in the face of such a retreat in democracy,” reads the statement.