Vladimir Vardanyan Elected President of Armenia’s Constitutional Court

YEREVAN — Vladimir Vardanyan, a former lawmaker from Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party and a sitting Constitutional Court judge, has been elected president of the Constitutional Court.

Vardanyan secured the position during the second round of voting held on November 6, following an unsuccessful first round in which neither candidate received the required majority.

The two candidates were Vardanyan and Constitutional Court Vice President Edgar Shatiryan.

According to the court’s official statement, neither candidate obtained sufficient votes in the initial secret ballot, prompting a second round in which Vardanyan was elected. The court did not disclose the number of votes received by either candidate.

The election marked the second attempt to select a new Constitutional Court president. An earlier vote on October 14, involving the same two candidates, failed to produce a winner after neither secured the necessary support in either round.

The presidency had been vacant since October 12, when former court president Arman Dilanyan completed his six-year term. Dilanyan continues to serve as a Constitutional Court judge.

Under Armenia’s Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court, the court president is elected for a single six-year term and is not eligible for re-election.

When two or more candidates are nominated, a candidate must receive the support of at least six of the court’s nine judges in the first round. In the second round, a minimum of five votes is required.

Vardanyan was elected to the Constitutional Court in March 2026 following his nomination by President Vahagn Khachaturyan. His candidacy received the support of 67 members of the National Assembly.

Before joining the court, Vardanyan served as a member of parliament representing the ruling Civil Contract faction and chaired the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs.

He terminated his membership in the ruling party before assuming his position as a Constitutional Court judge.