Epress.am News from Armenia
The Central Election Commission today examined the matter of SIL Group Co. Ltd. co-owner, former Member of Parliament and current candidate for the upcoming parliamentary election Khachatur Sukiasyan, as issues arose related to his candidacy.
Earlier, the RA Police Passport and Visa Department had sent a letter to the No. 11 electoral commission, where Sukiasyan intends to submit his candidacy, asking the commission not to accept the certificate it provided to Sukiasyan which stated that he has been nominated as a candidate under the majoritarian (single-mandate constituencies) system.
According to the police, Sukiasyan is ineligible to run in the elections as he doesn’t meet the legal requirement of “permanently residing in the Republic of Armenia in the past 5 years”. The Armenian police say that Sukiasyan for a long, uninterrupted period lived outside the country.
Sukiasyan’s attorney, Ara Zohrabyan, who was present at today’s discussion, said that if the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) makes a decision on Sukiasyan’s case (whether in favor or against), this might be viewed as putting pressure on the no. 10 electoral commission, since it’s the local electoral commission that registers candidates and is authorized to make decisions.
CEC chair Tigran Mukuchyan agreed with the attorney, refusing to make a decision at this time. The issue will be taken up by the no. 10 electoral commission.
Recall, Sukiasyan, elected as Member of Parliament from the same district in 2007 and who backed unsuccessful candidate Levon Ter-Petrossian in the 2008 presidential election, was deprived of his parliamentary mandates and accused of organizing mass riots in connection with the events of Mar. 1–2, 2008. Sukiasyan went into hiding until Sept. 2, 2009, when he voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement agencies. On Sept. 21, he was permitted to go to Germany to undergo surgery. Later, Armenia’s Special Investigation Service quashed the case against him on grounds of insufficient evidence.