Yelk alliance to nominate its own presidential candidate
14.12.2017,
15:41
The Armenian opposition alliance Yelk said today it will nominate a party member Artak Zeynalyan as a candidate for president.
YEREVAN, December 14. /ARKA/. The Armenian opposition alliance Yelk said today it will nominate a party member Artak Zeynalyan as a candidate for president. The decision was announced by Nikol Pashinyan, the head of the party’s parliamentary faction.
Under a package of constitutional reforms, endorsed in a national referendum in 2015, Armenia will change the governance system of the country from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary republic in 2018 after president Sargsyan steps down.
The president of Armenia, whose powers are significantly curtailed, will be elected for a term of seven years (instead of the current five) by the parliament. Presidents will be limited to one term of office. To be elected in the first round the candidate must be backed by three-fourths of votes. If this cannot be done, the candidate must be elected by three-fifths of votes.
According to the new constitution, the president of Armenia will be head of state, embodying national unity and ensuring the observance of the Constitution. The president cannot be a member of a political party.
The president is to appoint a candidate for prime minister from the party or party bloc that wins parliamentary elections. If parliamentary forces are unable to agree on the candidacy of the head of government, parliament is to be dissolved. A vote of no-confidence in the prime minister can be passed no sooner than a year after their appointment. The armed forces are subordinated to the government, and the prime minister is the supreme commander of the armed forces in times of war.
Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page, following the results of the faction's meeting, that the faction will begin negotiations with another opposition party, the Prosperous Armenia, to secure the required number of signatures (one-fourth of the deputies) to formally nominate Zeynalyan as a presidential candidate.
Artak Zeynalyan was born in 1969 in Yerevan. After serving in the Soviet Army he graduated from the State Medicine University. He is also a graduate of the Public Administration Academy. In 2006 he graduated from the Law Faculty of the Gladzor University. He held various medical positions, including the position of deputy health minister. In 2017 April elections he was elected to parliament form the Yelk alliance. He is married and has four children. -0-
Under a package of constitutional reforms, endorsed in a national referendum in 2015, Armenia will change the governance system of the country from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary republic in 2018 after president Sargsyan steps down.
The president of Armenia, whose powers are significantly curtailed, will be elected for a term of seven years (instead of the current five) by the parliament. Presidents will be limited to one term of office. To be elected in the first round the candidate must be backed by three-fourths of votes. If this cannot be done, the candidate must be elected by three-fifths of votes.
According to the new constitution, the president of Armenia will be head of state, embodying national unity and ensuring the observance of the Constitution. The president cannot be a member of a political party.
The president is to appoint a candidate for prime minister from the party or party bloc that wins parliamentary elections. If parliamentary forces are unable to agree on the candidacy of the head of government, parliament is to be dissolved. A vote of no-confidence in the prime minister can be passed no sooner than a year after their appointment. The armed forces are subordinated to the government, and the prime minister is the supreme commander of the armed forces in times of war.
Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page, following the results of the faction's meeting, that the faction will begin negotiations with another opposition party, the Prosperous Armenia, to secure the required number of signatures (one-fourth of the deputies) to formally nominate Zeynalyan as a presidential candidate.
Artak Zeynalyan was born in 1969 in Yerevan. After serving in the Soviet Army he graduated from the State Medicine University. He is also a graduate of the Public Administration Academy. In 2006 he graduated from the Law Faculty of the Gladzor University. He held various medical positions, including the position of deputy health minister. In 2017 April elections he was elected to parliament form the Yelk alliance. He is married and has four children. -0-
