Pashinyan to continue serving as prime minister after resignation
17.10.2018,
10:55
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigned on Tuesday to force early parliamentary elections.
YEREVAN, October 17. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigned on Tuesday to force early parliamentary elections.
In a televised statement he said the objective of his resignation is not to resign from the post of prime minister to evade responsibility, but to bring the “the people's revolution’ to the logical conclusion and return the power to the people. According to a "roadmap," unveiled by Pashinyan, immediately after his resignation, the president of the country accepts the resignation of the government.
In the next 14 days, the National Assembly will not elect prime minister twice, and will therefore be dissolved.
Then, the president will announce early parliamentary elections. According to him, throughout this period, members of the government will continue to fulfill their duties, and he will continue to fulfill the constitutional powers vested in the prime minister, remaining the guarantor of the people's victory.
"If in the December election you express a vote of confidence in our political force I will be re-elected as prime minister," said Pashinyan.
He also commented on the fears of those who think that the Republican Party of Armenia that still has the majority of seats in the National Assembly may nominate its own candidate of prime minister and elect him/her with the support of the Prosperous Armenia or Armenian Revolutionary Federation/Dashnaktsutyun parties.
“I don’t even want to talk about it. The events of October 2 showed that we are more than ready for any scenario, because not a single force can resist the will and desire of the people,” said Pashinyan.
Earlier, on October 2, the Prosperous Armenia (BHK) and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) parties backed a bill, designed by the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) that makes it harder to hold early parliamentary elections later this year.
The passage of the bill prompted thousands of Pashinyan's supporters to rally outside parliament to demand fresh elections, which can be held if the parliament fails twice to choose a new prime minister within two weeks after the resignation of prime minister.
Then the legislature is dissolved and new elections are called. However, on October 8, the head of the Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan and Pashinyan signed a memorandum on holding early elections in December, according to which BHK pledged not to nominate a candidate for the post of prime minister.
“Now I don’t even want to discuss such a scenario. Despite contradictions and sharp disputes with a number of parliamentary forces, I do not think that they have an intention to act against the people and the national security of Armenia,” said Pashinyan in the televised statement.
According to him, the parliamentary forces have proved that regardless of all contradictions and disagreements, the stability and security of the state are a ‘red line’ for them, which they will never cross.
“Moreover, the Republican Party of Armenia, the BHK and Dashnaktsutyun have publicly stated that they are not going to nominate a candidate or elect a prime minister,” said Pashinyan.
Addressing the representatives of the former majority of the National Assembly, he noted that the political force now in power often criticized and criticizes them, but that does not mean that someone is looking for enemies in Armenia or should look for them.
"During all my political activities, I spoke and now I want to repeat that I did not have and will not have enemies in Armenia, among Armenians. And I want to wish good luck to all political forces in the early parliamentary elections and confirm that our government will guarantee that the elections are free and open," he said.
Stressing that the resignation is of a formal nature, Pashinyan noted that the moment is really exciting, as the current stage of the revolution is being summed up and the transition to a new one is planned.
“Summing up the five months of my premiership, I want to thank you for your endless support and trust. I also want to apologize to all those whom I disappointed, whose fair and legitimate hopes I did not live up to, whom I upset,” said Pashinyan. He called for preparing for new victories and for creating a new and happy Armenia.
The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) issued a statement on October 9 saying it would not nominate a candidate either, but rejected the time frame of early elections announced by Pashinyan.
“We are not against early elections, the responsibility for which lies entirely with the Armenian government. In our view, a reasonable time frame for holding extraordinary parliamentary elections is either May or June next year," the statement says.
Later, about two dozen lawmakers from the Republican Party issued a statement in support of Pashinyan’s position on holding early parliamentary elections in December 2018.
The head of the Dashnaktsutyun faction in parliament Armen Rustamyan likewise announced on October 16 that the party does not intend to nominate a candidate for the post of prime minister. --0---
In a televised statement he said the objective of his resignation is not to resign from the post of prime minister to evade responsibility, but to bring the “the people's revolution’ to the logical conclusion and return the power to the people. According to a "roadmap," unveiled by Pashinyan, immediately after his resignation, the president of the country accepts the resignation of the government.
In the next 14 days, the National Assembly will not elect prime minister twice, and will therefore be dissolved.
Then, the president will announce early parliamentary elections. According to him, throughout this period, members of the government will continue to fulfill their duties, and he will continue to fulfill the constitutional powers vested in the prime minister, remaining the guarantor of the people's victory.
"If in the December election you express a vote of confidence in our political force I will be re-elected as prime minister," said Pashinyan.
He also commented on the fears of those who think that the Republican Party of Armenia that still has the majority of seats in the National Assembly may nominate its own candidate of prime minister and elect him/her with the support of the Prosperous Armenia or Armenian Revolutionary Federation/Dashnaktsutyun parties.
“I don’t even want to talk about it. The events of October 2 showed that we are more than ready for any scenario, because not a single force can resist the will and desire of the people,” said Pashinyan.
Earlier, on October 2, the Prosperous Armenia (BHK) and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) parties backed a bill, designed by the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) that makes it harder to hold early parliamentary elections later this year.
The passage of the bill prompted thousands of Pashinyan's supporters to rally outside parliament to demand fresh elections, which can be held if the parliament fails twice to choose a new prime minister within two weeks after the resignation of prime minister.
Then the legislature is dissolved and new elections are called. However, on October 8, the head of the Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan and Pashinyan signed a memorandum on holding early elections in December, according to which BHK pledged not to nominate a candidate for the post of prime minister.
“Now I don’t even want to discuss such a scenario. Despite contradictions and sharp disputes with a number of parliamentary forces, I do not think that they have an intention to act against the people and the national security of Armenia,” said Pashinyan in the televised statement.
According to him, the parliamentary forces have proved that regardless of all contradictions and disagreements, the stability and security of the state are a ‘red line’ for them, which they will never cross.
“Moreover, the Republican Party of Armenia, the BHK and Dashnaktsutyun have publicly stated that they are not going to nominate a candidate or elect a prime minister,” said Pashinyan.
Addressing the representatives of the former majority of the National Assembly, he noted that the political force now in power often criticized and criticizes them, but that does not mean that someone is looking for enemies in Armenia or should look for them.
"During all my political activities, I spoke and now I want to repeat that I did not have and will not have enemies in Armenia, among Armenians. And I want to wish good luck to all political forces in the early parliamentary elections and confirm that our government will guarantee that the elections are free and open," he said.
Stressing that the resignation is of a formal nature, Pashinyan noted that the moment is really exciting, as the current stage of the revolution is being summed up and the transition to a new one is planned.
“Summing up the five months of my premiership, I want to thank you for your endless support and trust. I also want to apologize to all those whom I disappointed, whose fair and legitimate hopes I did not live up to, whom I upset,” said Pashinyan. He called for preparing for new victories and for creating a new and happy Armenia.
The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) issued a statement on October 9 saying it would not nominate a candidate either, but rejected the time frame of early elections announced by Pashinyan.
“We are not against early elections, the responsibility for which lies entirely with the Armenian government. In our view, a reasonable time frame for holding extraordinary parliamentary elections is either May or June next year," the statement says.
Later, about two dozen lawmakers from the Republican Party issued a statement in support of Pashinyan’s position on holding early parliamentary elections in December 2018.
The head of the Dashnaktsutyun faction in parliament Armen Rustamyan likewise announced on October 16 that the party does not intend to nominate a candidate for the post of prime minister. --0---
