Armenia’s National Assembly today failed to approve the candidacy of Vahe Grigoryan as a Constitutional Court judge.  

The vote was 30 in favor and 23 against, 33 votes less than the 63 yes votes needed. Candidates for the Constitutional Court must receive  63 yes votes (3/5ths).

It appears that many MPs opposed to Grigoryan simply stayed away.

This is the second time that a Constitutional Court judge candidate nominated by Armenian President Armen Sarkissian hasn’t been approved.

In May, Sarkissian nominated Artsakh presidential adviser Emil Babayan. At the time, the Yelk and Tsarukyan factions boycotted the May 4 parliamentary session after the legislature failed to elect Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister.  Only 54 of the National Assembly’s 105 MPs showed up for the Tarasyan vote.

Even if all 54 MPs voted in his favor, he still would have beeen 9 votes short of the required 63.