Armenian Constitutional Court judges begin receiving higher salaries in June under new law

Judges of Armenia's Constitutional Court began receiving higher salaries in June after legislation introduced by Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan took effect, granting seniority-based pay increases to the court's president, vice president and judges.

The Ministry of Justice introduced the legislative package in March, proposing amendments to the Law on Remuneration of Persons Holding State Positions and Positions of Public Service and the Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court.

On March 24, the National Assembly approved the package in its first reading after Galyan presented the bill. The measure passed with 69 votes in favor from members of the ruling Civil Contract party and MPs who had left the faction. Seven lawmakers voted against it, while 22 abstained.

The parliament passed the legislation in its second and final reading on March 25.

The amendments establish seniority-based salary supplements for members of the Constitutional Court. Under the new system, judges receive a 20% salary supplement beginning in their second year in office, 35% in their third year and an additional 10 percentage points for each subsequent full year of service. The law also provides that all full years served before it entered into force are counted when calculating the supplement.

According to the government's explanatory note, the measure will require an additional 46.8 million drams ($120,000) from the 2026 state budget. The increase includes about 7.8 million drams for the Constitutional Court president, 5.8 million drams for the vice president and 33.2 million drams for the court's seven other judges.

Presenting the bill to lawmakers, Galyan said the changes were necessary because the existing compensation structure did not adequately reflect the Constitutional Court judges' legal status, constitutional authority or the level of responsibility associated with their positions.

The legislation entered into force in May, and Constitutional Court judges began receiving the higher salaries in June, the same month Armenia held parliamentary elections.