Armenia’s Justice Minister Grigor Minasyan submitted his resignation, apparently bowing to pressure from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party members, who had initiated a petition for his removal last week.
“Today I also decided to join the petition against my tenure,” Minasyan said in a statement, referring to a petition seeking his removal initiated by members of the ruling party over what they described as lack of progress in reforms.
“I have tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister,” Minasyan added.
“In a parliamentary system of government, serving as minister is difficult if you don’t have positive cooperation even from one member of parliament. I’ve been made aware that I have a problem with almost 23 parliament members from the Civil Contract faction,” Minasyan added.
More than two dozen members of parliament belonging to the ruling party signed the petition initiated and circulated by Arpi Davoyan, a member of the Civil Contract Party. Many of the signatories have not stated a reason for their call to dismiss Minasyan, only suggesting problems with his “staffing policy.”
Minasyan, last month, appointed Sirvard Gevorgyan as deputy justice minister. Pashinyan formally approved this appointment early last month. However, the Civil Contract members claimed that the new appointee was a supporter of former president Robert Kocharian and Hayastan Alliance.
The accusations against Gevorgyan forced her to resign from the position she had just occupied.
In his resignation announcement, Minasyan thanked other lawmakers who “kindly accepted and supported” him, as well as government officials, and Pashinyan for giving him the opportunity to serve in the position.
“People have always expected from the justice ministers the swift and direct restoration of justice. But that’s not the minister’s job, that’s up to the law enforcement agencies and courts. We are policymakers, improving the institutional system. A lot has been done in both directions already,” Minasyan said in his statement, adding that he will begin working in the private sector.
