The Istanbul Governorship will most likely issue the license for holding the elections of the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople within a week. This is what Editor-in-Chief of the Armenian-language section of Istanbul’s Agos Weekly Pakrat Estukyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“On April 25, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople convened an assembly with clergymen and decided that the election of the Patriarch would continue under the leadership of Archbishop Aram Ateshyan. The next day, the Patriarchate filed an application to the governorship to receive a license for election. The governorship will transmit the petition to Ankara, which will give a response. The response will probably be given within a week.”

Estoukian informed that a regulatory committee would be set up upon receipt of the license and that various groups have their candidates. “The election of the Patriarch might take five to six months. The names of the candidates will be announced in one or two months,” he said. Estukyan also said the leader of the Gugarats Diocese, Archbishop Sebouh Chouldjian has high chances of winning the elections.