By a vote of 71 the Armenian parliament, dominated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party, has elected today Vahagn Khachatryan as President in the second round of the secret ballot.
The opposition Hayastan (Armenia) and Pativ Unem (I Have Honor) alliances refused to take part in the elections. In the first round Khachatryan had to garner 81 votes to be elected, however, the ruling party controls only 71 seats in the legislature. In the second round, 64 votes were enough for the candidate to be elected.
Vahagn Khachatryan, 63, who served as High-Tech Industry Minister, was the only candidate. The opposition alliances in the Armenian National Assembly refused to nominate candidates.
Vahagn Khachatryan is replacing Armen Sarkissian, who announced his resignation on January 23 citing lack of tools to influence the country’s foreign and domestic policies.
Under a package of constitutional reforms, endorsed in a national referendum in 2015, Armenia changed the governance system of the country from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary republic in 2018 April.
The president of Armenia, whose powers are significantly curtailed, is elected for a term of seven years by the parliament. Presidents are limited to one term of office, ARKA reports.
