Armenia's ruling party faces challenges in choosing new Justice Minister

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is set to hold a board meeting of his Civil Pact party to discuss potential candidates for the Justice Minister position.

According to Yerevan-based Hraparak newspaper, the meeting, originally scheduled for last week, was postponed as the ruling party struggled to finalize a candidate, Caliber.Az reports.

While several names were considered, Yerevan Vice Mayor Suren Grigoryan and Prime Minister's Press Secretary Nazeli Baghdasaryan have since withdrawn their candidacies.

The remaining contenders appear to be Armen Khachatryan, an MP from the ruling party, and lawyer Alexander Sirunyan. Khachatryan is nominated by the Syunik Territorial Council, while Sirunyan has the backing of the Nor-Nork Territorial Council.

Hraparak speculates that the ruling party may not be able to choose a candidate during this meeting, as none have met the Prime Minister's approval.

The Justice Ministry post became vacant after Grigor Minasyan resigned in early October, following a signature campaign initiated by the Civil Contract faction to remove him.

The media reported that his appointment as the head of the Ministry of Justice initially caused controversy in the ruling faction, as Minasyan is the brother of Mikael Minasyan - former ambassador to the Vatican and son-in-law of Armenia's third president Serzh Sargsyan.

By Tamilla Hasanova