Parliament speaker: Presidential elections can be postpone in Armenia

Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan not exclude that presidential elections could be postponed because of attack on the presidential race participant Paruyr Hayrikian on Thursday, Armenian television reported.

According to the Constitution of Armenia, in the event of insurmountable obstacles for a candidate for president election postponed for two weeks.

The speaker noted that he personally spoke to Airikyan and appreciated his condition as normal. According to him, Airikyan reported that he had been shot twice.

Armenian presidential candidate Paruir Airikyan was hospitalized with a gun wound in his shoulder after he was assaulted on late Thursday night, RIA Novosti reported according to the Armenian police press service.

The press service said Airikyan was attacked on one of the streets of the Armenian capital of Yerevan. The service did not give any further details.

Doctors from the Gregory the Illuminator hospital, where Airikyan was taken, said he was in a stable condition and his life was not in danger.

Chief of Armenian Police Vladimir Gasparyan arrived at the scene of the incident, where investigators currently gather evidence.

The Armenian presidential election will be held on Feb. 18 from 08:00 to 20:00 local time. These will be the sixth elections in Armenia's history. The president is elected for a term of five years.

Those running for the presidency are the incumbent president and ruling Republican Party leader Serzh Sargsyan, former Prime Minister Grant Bagratyan, chairman of the Heritage Party Raffi Hovhannisyan, Paruyr Hayrikyan, Arman Melikyan, Andreas Ghukasyan, Vardan Setrakyan and the leader of the National Accord Party Aram Harutyunyan.



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