Media: Armenian ruling party eyes to appoint its member CEC chairman

The Armenian ruling Civil Contract party intends to appoint its member chairman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC).

“Tigran Mukuchyan, who held this post for 11 years, will be replaced by a former journalist, now deputy chairman of the standing parliamentary committee on state and legal affairs Vahagn Hovakimyan,” Caliber.Az reports referring to the Armenian Zhoghovurd newspaper.

“We did our best to get in touch with Hovakimyan and clarify this information, however, he did not answer our phone calls and messages. Our source assured that although Hovakimyan's candidacy is perceived ambiguously in his own team, a political decision has already been made, according to which he will become the next CEC chairman,” the message said.

According to the message, the new CEC head should be elected till October 12, 2022, when the powers of current head Tigran Mukuchyan end. The parliamentary faction of the ruling Civil Contract party will soon announce the nomination of Hovakimyan.

“Pashinyan’s team, which accused the previous authorities of turning Armenia into a party state, is actually inclined to replenish all spheres on the principle of party membership and divide the existing posts among its party members,” the message said.

According to the message, the CEC, which for almost 30 years did not have a party chairman, will have a de facto head from the Civil Contract party. This is the first time that an acting MP and a member of the political team will be sent to the CEC.

“This is nothing but a direct violation of democratic norms. The representatives of the ruling political party, rather than independent specialists will be the developers and implementers of electoral policy,” the newspaper said.