Constitutional Court to elect new Chief Justice within 10 days

Arman Dilanyan’s term as President (Chief Justice) of the Constitutional Court expired on October 12, 2026. He will continue to serve as a judge (Justice) of the Constitutional Court.

According to the law, the election of the Chief Justice must be held within ten days of the position becoming vacant.

Election procedure

Under Article 166(2) of the Constitution, the Constitutional Court elects its president from among its judges for a six-year term, without the right to re-election. The procedure is governed by Article 19 of the Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court and the Court’s Rules of Procedure.

The election must be held within ten days of the position becoming vacant. Candidates may be nominated by a Constitutional Court judge or may nominate themselves.

The president is elected by secret ballot at a procedural session convened for that purpose. A candidate must receive two-thirds of the votes of all Constitutional Court judges to be elected. If only one candidate is nominated, a majority of the votes of all judges is sufficient.

If none of two or more candidates receives the required number of votes in the first round, a second round is held within five days between the two candidates who received the most votes. The candidate who receives a majority of the votes of all Constitutional Court judges in the second round is elected.

If the required number of votes is not secured, the election is declared unsuccessful, and a new election is organized.

The procedural session to elect the president of the Constitutional Court is scheduled for October 14, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.