Gor Hovhannisyan has extensive experience in Constitutional law and is extremely knowledgeable. Well-known German professors speak about the candidate for a Judge in Armenian Constitutional Court

The Armenian Parliament will deliberate on the issue of elections of a new judge for the country’s Constitutional Court at a regular session on April 16. As announced in the media, the Armenian President, Armen Sarkissian, nominated for that position Dr Gor Hovhannisyan, who is an associate professor of University of Hagen (Germany) and Doctor of Laws from Humboldt University of Berlin.

Aysor.am approached an Emeritus Professor from Humboldt University and well-known expert on state law Prof. Ulrich Battis and another well-known law professor from University of Regensburg Dr Alexander Graser for an interview to discuss their former student being nominated to become a judge at the Armenian Constitutional Court.

Dr Alexander Graser told Aysor.am that he had been following the developments of constitutional law and legal reforms in Armenia and is happy that President Sarkissian decided to nominate his best former student, now Doctor of Laws Gor Hovhannisyan, for the vacant position at the Constitutional Court.

“As for my relationship to Gor, we have known each other for about a decade now. He stood out already at the time [of his studies], not just as a brilliant lawyer, but also as a highly considerate and mature person”, - Dr Graser told. According to him, Gor Hovhannisyan is “exceptionally qualified for this position” of judge at the Constitutional Court.

“Dr Hovhannisyan has outstanding expertise in constitutional law. Given his past experience as a clerk for the Armenian Constitutional Court, he already knows the institution and its operations from the inside. Also, his expertise in German law should be an asset. Our best judges are the ones who have an additional comparative perspective on their own system. Gor is among the most upright people I know. There is not the slightest trace of opportunism in his personality. This is a rare trait, especially among lawyers, and it is of particular importance for a constitutional judge”, - Dr Graser concluded.

Emeritus Professor from Humboldt University, Ulrich Battis, told Aysor.am that even though he would be ready to support Gor Hovhannisyan, in the event of his election, with professional advice, he rather believes that there would not be such need, as “he has his own standing now”.
“Gor was my student. I remember he did very well during his doctoral exam. He wrote his thesis on the Constitutional Courts of Armenia and Germany. You can find interesting suggestions on the Constitutional Courts of both countries in his dissertation, with special emphasis on the potential improvements on the scope of work in those courts”, - Prof. Battis reasoned in the phone interview.

Prof. Battis said he was convinced that, if elected, Gor Hovhannisyan will be best equipped to discharge his duties since before studying in Germany he used to work at the Constitutional Courts of Armenia and has extensive experience on the ground. After studying in Germany Gor knows very well both theoretical and practical aspects in this field. That’s one of the reasons his thesis was a success, since it had both practical and theoretical value”, - professor added.

It must be highlighted that Gor Hovhannisyan has degrees from five higher education institutions, two of which in Armenia and three in Germany. President Armen Sarkissian’s nominee has numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, speaks four languages. He teaches in several educational establishments, and since 2018 he has been associate professor in Berlin School of Economics and Law.