12/06/2019 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – The roadmap established by the Armenian Christian community seeking to elect the successor of their recently deceased patriarch was supposed to have achieved an outcome by mid-December. However, Turkey’s interference with the church’s electoral process has led to several negative reactions.
The Armenian Church is based in Istanbul, but has congregants spread throughout the world. Turkey’s latest interference in the electoral process involves the decision that the government will not allow international candidates to seek nomination for the electoral process. Turkey’s government has a long history of trying to control the patriarchy for political reasons.
The Surp Yerrortutyun Armenian church Foundation in Istanbul has now filed a complaint against the government (Interior Ministry and governor’s office) on the basis that international candidates cannot receive patriarchal nomination. The court deferred the compliant, saying that the compliant should be filed against the enterprising board who makes electoral decisions.
It is unclear whether the patriarchal election will continue as is, or if it will again be cancelled.
