Vladimir Vardanian, who until recently was a member of Pashinian’s ruling Civil Contract party, was appointed to the position on Wednesday following a parliamentary vote that passed 67 to 0 by secret ballot. Vardanian had resigned from the party days before his nomination by the president and also stepped down as a member of parliament.
Opposition factions did not declare any specific position ahead of the vote but raised concerns during a parliamentary debate on Tuesday, questioning Vardanian’s political impartiality.
Lawmakers from the Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions reminded that Civil Contract, including Vardanian, had previously campaigned for the removal of former Constitutional Court Chairman Hrair Tovmasian, using the argument that his prior affiliation with the country’s former ruling Republican Party of Armenia undermined his political impartiality.
Responding to the criticism, Vardanian, a professional lawyer and former Constitutional Court employee, rejected comparisons with Tovmasian. “The main problem with Hrair Tovmasian was not his transfer from the parliament to the Constitutional Court, but rather the fact that, being the author and advocate of the amended Constitution… he still chose to be elected in accordance with the constitutional regulations days before these regulations would expire,” he said.
Taguhi Tovmasian of the Pativ Unem faction said Vardanian had failed to provide assurances that he would avoid political bias, noting that the Constitutional Court would likely review cases directly involving the ruling party.
Another opposition lawmaker, Armenuhi Kyureghian of the Hayastan faction, cited Vardanian’s previous statements describing Azerbaijan’s actions in Nagorno-Karabakh as “a crime against humanity” and his calls for Baku’s accountability. She questioned whether he would maintain that stance given the government’s current peace agenda with Azerbaijan.
“If this issue is raised during international discussions in the field of constitutional justice, I will express the same position,” Vardanian replied, adding that he has never retracted his statements made in the past.
Meanwhile, a number of civil society organizations issued a statement criticizing Vardanian’s nomination and election as a Constitutional Court judge, stating that “the decision jeopardizes public trust in the independence and impartiality of the court.”
They argued that even Vardanian’s resignation from parliament and termination of his membership in the Civil Contract party after more than seven years of “active political and party engagement” “cannot reasonably guarantee a complete severance of political ties and ideological affiliation.”