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Any man vying for the post of head of state should be required to undergo a psychiatric examination, Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, the leader of the Armenia electoral bloc, said at a meeting with his supporters in Tavush Province on Thursday.

His comments came in response to a citizen’s proposal for him to restore the death penalty in the country in case of coming to power since “there are about 100 people who deserve such a punishment.”

Robert Kocharyan said that he could not make such a promise, as Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe. Instead, he offered another solution for the issue, saying it should become mandatory for a person vying for the post of prime minister to undergo a mental health evaluation.

"When people get a driving license, they undergo such an examination, their vision is checked. Such an examination is required for the purchase of hunting rifles. Now the person topping the [electoral] list must be required to undergo a psychiatric evaluation by law. What the current authorities are doing today does not fit in with the mind. If there are such phenomena in our reality, the problem is somewhere else. Such people simply should not be allowed to hold high posts,” he stated.

The prime ministerial candidate of the I Have the Honor bloc, Artur Vanetsyan, has also stressed the need for such an examination.