Armenia’s Constitutional Court fails to elect president in two rounds

Armenia’s Constitutional Court failed to elect a new president on October 14 after neither of its two candidates secured enough votes in either round, the court’s press office said.

Judge Edgar Shatiryan was nominated at the court’s procedural session, while fellow judge Vladimir Vardanyan nominated himself. Both rounds were conducted by secret ballot.

The vacancy arose when Arman Dilanyan’s term as president expired on October 12. He will remain a Constitutional Court judge. The president is chosen from among the court’s judges for a six-year term without eligibility for re-election.

With multiple candidates, victory in the first round requires two thirds of all judges’ votes. A majority is sufficient in the second round. Following the unsuccessful ballots, the court said it would hold a new election.