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OPPOSITION FORCES WALK OUT OF CONSTITUTIONAL COURT


By Hovannes Shoghikian
Representatives of three opposition parties appealing the May 12 election outcomes have left the Constitutional Court to show their protest over what they allege to be a judicial farce and prejudgment.

Orinats Yerkir, Hanrapetutyun and New Times representatives made their concluding speeches on Friday before leaving the courtroom.

They followed the example of Nikol Pashinian of the Impeachment bloc who resorted to the step the previous day without making concluding remarks.

The three radical opposition groups, including Hanrapetutyun, New Times and Impeachment, have been demanding that the court invalidate the official figures and order a rerun of the party-list voting. The fourth applicant, the Orinats Yerkir Party of former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian, has sought a recount of ballots in some 200 polling stations across the country.

All had little hope the Court would sustain their claims before applying, but claimed to have ample evidence for their cases.

“This is another time that we’ve witnessed a farce in court when political rather than constitutional justice is administered. And we see no point in our further participation in the proceedings,” Orinats Yerkir’s Artashes Avoyan said addressing the court.

“I express my regret to the Constitutional Court in connection with its formal approach to this case,” New Times party representative Ruben Torosian said. “I am also leaving the courtroom and have no desire to listen to the Constitutional Court’s verdict.”

Concluding his lengthy speech, Hanrapetutyun party representative Artak Zeynalyan once again urged the high court to invalidate the Central Election Commission’s May 19 decision that officially confirmed the results of last month’s parliamentary vote.

Respondents and co-respondents in the case, who spoke already in the absence of the opposition representatives, urged the Court to turn the appeals down.

After listening to the sides, the Court retired to the deliberation chamber.

Under Armenian law, the Constitutional Court has to deliver a verdict on the appeals by June 10.
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