Pashinyan to resign after dismissing his Cabinet ministers
02.10.2018,
23:12
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said today he will resign after his orders to dismiss Cabinet ministers come into force.
YEREVAN, October 2. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said today he will resign after his orders to dismiss Cabinet ministers come into force.
“Once my orders to dismiss government ministers and governors enter legally into force, after that - I don’t mention a specific term - I will resign. After 7 days, the parliament must elect a prime minister, if the prime minister is not elected, there will be a second round. If the parliament does not elect a new prime minister again, then early parliamentary elections will be held," said Pashinyan, presenting the sequence of his steps.
“If it turns out that the people are in favor of holding early parliamentary elections, it means that we and the people can prevent the parliament from electing a new prime minister,” he said. Pashinyan also added that after his resignation he will continue to fulfill his duties as head of government.
"During that period nothing will happen - not a single leaf, not a single car, not a single bush, not a single deputy, not a single tree will be damaged. I will go to the National Assembly to hold talks with the deputies and representatives of the political forces to overcome the situation, "he said.
Pashinyan has signed a set of decress to dismiss Minister of Emergency Situations Hrachya Rostomyan, Minister of Economic Development and Investments Artsvik Minasyan, Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Artur Grigoryan, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Levon Vagradian, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technologies Ashot Hakobyan, as well as the Minister of Agriculture Artur Khachatryan. All of them are from the Prosperous Armenia and ARF/Dashnaktsutyun parties, which endorsed earlier today a controversial bill, designed by the Republican Party of Armenia to prevent Pashinyan from forcing snap general elections.
By a vote of 67 the parliament adopted all the proposed amendments in two readings at once, thereby finally approving all the proposed changes.
The proposed change says if a parliament session cannot be held because of the lack of quorum or if there is quorum, but an obstacle is created for the participation of lawmakers, the session should be suspended and resumed after the impeding circumstances are eliminated.
The opponents of the bill say the Republican Party of Armenia and its supporters are trying to insure themselves against the possible dissolution of the parliament and the holding of early parliamentary elections.
The fact is that under the Armenian constitution, snap elections can be held only if the prime minister resigns and the parliament fails to replace him or her within two weeks. Local analysts claimed that in case of Pashinian’s resignation his supporters would blockade the parliament to prevent HHK from electing another premier during the two-week period. The controversial bill passed today has actually made that period indefinite. -0-
“Once my orders to dismiss government ministers and governors enter legally into force, after that - I don’t mention a specific term - I will resign. After 7 days, the parliament must elect a prime minister, if the prime minister is not elected, there will be a second round. If the parliament does not elect a new prime minister again, then early parliamentary elections will be held," said Pashinyan, presenting the sequence of his steps.
“If it turns out that the people are in favor of holding early parliamentary elections, it means that we and the people can prevent the parliament from electing a new prime minister,” he said. Pashinyan also added that after his resignation he will continue to fulfill his duties as head of government.
"During that period nothing will happen - not a single leaf, not a single car, not a single bush, not a single deputy, not a single tree will be damaged. I will go to the National Assembly to hold talks with the deputies and representatives of the political forces to overcome the situation, "he said.
Pashinyan has signed a set of decress to dismiss Minister of Emergency Situations Hrachya Rostomyan, Minister of Economic Development and Investments Artsvik Minasyan, Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Artur Grigoryan, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Levon Vagradian, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technologies Ashot Hakobyan, as well as the Minister of Agriculture Artur Khachatryan. All of them are from the Prosperous Armenia and ARF/Dashnaktsutyun parties, which endorsed earlier today a controversial bill, designed by the Republican Party of Armenia to prevent Pashinyan from forcing snap general elections.
By a vote of 67 the parliament adopted all the proposed amendments in two readings at once, thereby finally approving all the proposed changes.
The proposed change says if a parliament session cannot be held because of the lack of quorum or if there is quorum, but an obstacle is created for the participation of lawmakers, the session should be suspended and resumed after the impeding circumstances are eliminated.
The opponents of the bill say the Republican Party of Armenia and its supporters are trying to insure themselves against the possible dissolution of the parliament and the holding of early parliamentary elections.
The fact is that under the Armenian constitution, snap elections can be held only if the prime minister resigns and the parliament fails to replace him or her within two weeks. Local analysts claimed that in case of Pashinian’s resignation his supporters would blockade the parliament to prevent HHK from electing another premier during the two-week period. The controversial bill passed today has actually made that period indefinite. -0-
