“Interference of the governor’s office is unlawful”

People are reacting against the interference of the governor’s office in the patriarchal election. Lawyer Sebu Aslangil stated that the notice of the governor’s office is unlawful.

Today, after Karekin Bekçiyan was elected as the değabah, General Vicar of Patriarch Aram Ateşyan told the press that the governor’s office has sent a notice. In this notice, it was claimed that “the election is legally impossible.”

Lawyer and member of Enterprising Committee Sebu Aslangil made a statement, reacting against the notice.

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Here is the statement of Aslangil:

“This notice is completely unlawful. Administration doesn’t have such an authority. The notice reads, ‘the procedure of patriarchal election is intended to be started virtually’. Only Armenian society has the authority to start the election process. Clerical Assembly started the process with the decision it made on October 16. It decided to elect değabah and this decision is realized. If the administration wanted to interfere in, it should have done it after this decision. It would make more sense if it stated, ‘This decision is not proper.’ However, by saying nothing about it, it legally and virtually accepted the procedure. What is done today is what this decision requires.

“Given that no complaint has been made to the administration, it is impossible to talk about such a disturbance. This reason cannot constitute a ground for thinking that the election won’t be right. They could have interfered in after what happened on February 16. The governor’s office hasn’t done that either. This notice is arbitrary. The election conforms to the proceedings and traditions. Starting the election is quite lawful.

On this point, we can talk about the scope of influence of the general vicar. According to our traditions, general vicar doesn’t have the authority to start election. There is also no regulation concerning the limits of vicar’s authority. Thus, general vicar doesn’t have the authority to stop the process of election. The existence of vicar doesn’t have anything to do with the process of election.”

Aslangil also pointed out that there is a pending case concerning the vicarship in the constitutional court and this seat is not legally confirmed yet.