Republican Party presents its position on voting
01.05.2018,
11:40
The head of the parliamentary faction of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) Vahram Baghdasaryan told reporters today that the party has no intention to boycott the extraordinary session of the parliament that is to elect prime minister and is ready to provide the necessary quorum for holding it.
YEREVAN, May 1. /ARKA/. The head of the parliamentary faction of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) Vahram Baghdasaryan told reporters today that the party has no intention to boycott the extraordinary session of the parliament that is to elect prime minister and is ready to provide the necessary quorum for holding it.
Baghdasaryan said also that the faction has not yet come to a decision on how to vote. He said HHK lawmakers will determine this after they ask questions the only candidate for the post of prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and receive his answers.
"After that we will discuss the situation and learn the opinion of everyone and make a decision. Everything else depends on the mood of the deputies. I do not think that the faction members will be allowed to vote as they want, as we will lose face as a political party that represents the majority. The decision must be unanimous," said Baghdasaryan.
The head of the faction did not rule out that the voting on the candidacy of prime minister may not be held today.
"We must choose prime minister as stipulated by the Constitution , since we can not keep the country in a paralyzed state," he said, adding that if not today, then in 7 days the prime minister's elections will again be held, otherwise the parliament should be dissolved, and that would significantly push Armenia back.
Baghdasaryan argued that extraordinary parliamentary election can not have a positive effect on the development of the country.
According to him, public discontent was directed not against the parliamentary majority, but against a person (former prime minister and a two-time president Serzh Sargsyan) , who has resigned.
"We did not put forward our candidate, but political developments are developing rapidly and I can not now say what will happen next," Baghdasaryan said.
To be elected as prime minister Pashinyan needs to win 53 votes in the 105-member National Assembly. The Republican Party has 58 seats in the National Assembly, the Tsarukyan faction controls 31 seats, the Yelk bloc of Pashinyan has 9 seats and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) has 7 seats.
The Tasrukyan bloc and the ARF said they would vote for Pashinyan. The Republican Party is expected to unveil its position today, though a senior lawmaker, Vahram Baghdasaryan, has said it would not stand in the way of Pashinyan's candidacy. -0-
Baghdasaryan said also that the faction has not yet come to a decision on how to vote. He said HHK lawmakers will determine this after they ask questions the only candidate for the post of prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and receive his answers.
"After that we will discuss the situation and learn the opinion of everyone and make a decision. Everything else depends on the mood of the deputies. I do not think that the faction members will be allowed to vote as they want, as we will lose face as a political party that represents the majority. The decision must be unanimous," said Baghdasaryan.
The head of the faction did not rule out that the voting on the candidacy of prime minister may not be held today.
"We must choose prime minister as stipulated by the Constitution , since we can not keep the country in a paralyzed state," he said, adding that if not today, then in 7 days the prime minister's elections will again be held, otherwise the parliament should be dissolved, and that would significantly push Armenia back.
Baghdasaryan argued that extraordinary parliamentary election can not have a positive effect on the development of the country.
According to him, public discontent was directed not against the parliamentary majority, but against a person (former prime minister and a two-time president Serzh Sargsyan) , who has resigned.
"We did not put forward our candidate, but political developments are developing rapidly and I can not now say what will happen next," Baghdasaryan said.
To be elected as prime minister Pashinyan needs to win 53 votes in the 105-member National Assembly. The Republican Party has 58 seats in the National Assembly, the Tsarukyan faction controls 31 seats, the Yelk bloc of Pashinyan has 9 seats and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) has 7 seats.
The Tasrukyan bloc and the ARF said they would vote for Pashinyan. The Republican Party is expected to unveil its position today, though a senior lawmaker, Vahram Baghdasaryan, has said it would not stand in the way of Pashinyan's candidacy. -0-
