YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: The ruling faction [in parliament] received with joy the withdrawal yesterday of Vahram Avetisyan, nominated by the government as a candidate for a judge of the Constitutional Court [(CC)].

To our question how or why [PM] Nikol Pashinyan backed down from his step and did not force the NA [National Assembly] and [NA majority] My Step [faction] to elect his candidate, our source at the halls of power answered that the Prime Minister, in fact, punished the Minister of Justice, the outstanding Soros [member] Rustam Badasyan, who they say has misled Pashinyan and did not report the reality correctly.

The thing is that before that, Badasyan discussed a number of [CC judge] candidates within the framework of Pashinyan's trusted lawyers; it can be said that they conducted a mini-casting (…), and everyone seems to have come to the conclusion that Avetisyan cannot be sent to the CC.

But when Badasyan presented the list made up of several "chosen ones" to Pashinyan, the latter was tempted by Avetisyan's scholar title and chose him, whereas Badasyan did not inform [Pashinyan] that the "narrow circle" of the Prime Minister's confidants rejected him [Avetisyan]. The reality came to the surface only after the nomination and the uproar raised.

It is said that Badasyan has now been declared a "persona non grata" in the government, and it is not ruled out that they will soon bid farewell to him.