Armenia's ruling party fails to select new Justice Minister

Armenia's ruling party was unable to select a candidate for the position of Justice Minister during the October 8 meeting of the Civil Contract party board, which included Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

According to a Yerevan-based newspaper, the official statement indicated that personnel matters were on the agenda, Caliber.Az reports.

However, the primary focus was the selection of a candidate for the Justice Minister role. Sources cited by the newspaper noted that the ruling party failed to reach a decision.

Two candidates were considered: MPs Arusyak Julakyan and Arpi Davoyan. However, before the vote took place, Julakyan withdrew her candidacy, and Davoyan received support from only two board members — Defence Minister Suren Papikyan and MP Vahagn Aleksanyan.

Grigor Minasyan had submitted his resignation on October 1, following a signature collection effort initiated by the ruling faction, Civil Contract, aimed at his removal from the ministerial position.

Media outlets reported that Minasyan's initial appointment as head of the Ministry of Justice had sparked controversy within the ruling faction, primarily due to his familial connections; he is the brother of Mikael Minasyan, the former ambassador to the Vatican and the son-in-law of Armenia's third president, Serzh Sargsyan.

By Tamilla Hasanova