“We are entering a completely new era”: why did Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan resign

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced his resignation for the sake of holding early parliamentary elections. At the same time, he will act as head of the cabinet before the voting. The resignation of the head of government was received by President Armen Sargsyan.

"Taking as a basis article 130 of the Constitution, I accept the resignation of the government," the presidential decree says.

In his address to the people, Pashinyan stressed that he intends to complete the “non-violent, velvet, popular revolution” by holding extraordinary elections and returning power to the people.

“Dear compatriots, although this resignation is formal, the moment is really significant. We invariably follow our own principles, proceed to the next stage of our revolution and enter a completely new era, ”said Pashinyan.

He also spoke about the plan of activities for the near future. Thus, according to the procedure, in the next 14 days, the parliament should elect a new prime minister. If this fails twice, then the legislature is dissolved and early parliamentary elections are called. According to the Constitution of Armenia, they should be held no earlier than 30 days and no later than 45 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly.

“During this period, all members of the government will continue to fulfill their duties. I will also continue to fulfill the constitutional powers of the Prime Minister. If you choose our political force in the December elections, I will be re-elected as prime minister, ”Pashinyan explained.

As the resigning prime minister noted, he is not worried by the fact that one of the four parliamentary factions will nominate another candidate for the post of prime minister.

“I don’t even want to say that the events of October 2 showed that we are more than ready for any scenario, because no force can resist the will of the people,” he noted.

Recall that on October 2, the Armenian parliament at an extraordinary meeting voted for the adoption of amendments to the law “On the Regulations of the National Assembly of Armenia”. The amendments allow parliament to continue work when the prime minister resigns.

These actions were called an attempt to carry out a counter-revolution and an encroachment on the power of the Armenian people. As a result, Yerevan residents took to the streets in protest and blocked the building of the National Assembly, speaking out against the amendments.

The next day, six ministers from the Prosperous Armenia and Dashnaktsutyun parties lost their positions, who supported the changes in the legislation. Pashinyan also called on his supporters to stop the protest and go home.

In an interview with France 24, he also noted that if he resigned before October 16, the elections will be held around December 9-10. In addition, he reached an agreement with the Yelk, Prosperous Armenia, Dashnaktsutyun parties and the Republican Party of Armenia on holding early elections to the National Assembly.

"The European Union will provide support"

It should be noted that on the eve of the First Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan discussed with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Sergey Kopyrkin various internal political processes in Armenia, including the possibility of early parliamentary elections in December and issues of reforming the Electoral Code.

"The interlocutors stressed the importance of regular bilateral meetings, which allow for prompt discussion of issues on the agenda of the Armenian-Russian cooperation," the republican government said.

In turn, the representative of the European Union in Armenia, Ambassador Peter Svitsalsky noted that the EU will support Yerevan in the matter of early elections.

“The main thing for us is to strengthen the freedom of expression of the will of the citizens,” Sputnik Armenia news agency quotes him.

The holding of early elections to the National Assembly may lead to the establishment of a political monopoly. This statement was made by former Armenian President Robert Kocharian. In his opinion, it will not be possible to assemble a decent parliament, it will be “one-sided”

“In tactical terms, this is a clear line of behavior - to achieve success now, as if at the peak of popularity. In strategic terms, I see problems, that is, as a politician you win, but as a statesman, you still need to think about whether it was worth doing it now, ”RIA Novosti quotes him.

He noted that with the advent of "full power" appears and "full responsibility." The former head of state believes that Pashinyan’s resignation will complete the previous stage in the political life of Armenia and lead to the formation of a “new government”.

“To form a new political monopoly from the point of view of the interests of the state - I don’t think that this is correct,” Kocharian explained.