Armenia's Pashinian Resigns To Force New Elections
YEREVAN -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian says he is resigning
from his post in order to dissolve parliament and force early elections.
Pashinian made the announcement on national television late on October
16, saying that the early vote was needed "to return the entire power to
the people."
Pashinian has pushed for early parliamentary elections by the end of
this year following his bloc's landslide victory in the mayoral race in
the capital, Yerevan, last month in a bid to unseat his political
opponents, who have maintained a majority in parliament.
A former opposition lawmaker, Pashinian took office in May after
spearheading weeks of protests that forced his predecessor, Serzh
Sarkisian of the Republican Party of Armenia (HKK), to resign.
The HHK-dominated parliament yielded to the popular demand of the
protesters to back Pashinian’s candidacy for prime minister. After being
elected to the post in May, Pashinian said his government would hold
early parliamentary elections within a year.
Under the Armenian Constitution, snap elections can be called only if
the prime minister resigns and the parliament fails to replace him or
her with someone else within two weeks.
Under the constitution, new elections then shall be held no earlier than
in 30 days and no later than in 45 days -- approximately in the first
half of December.
Pashinian said his government will "guarantee the free expression of the people’s will" in the general elections.
He also said that he will continue to perform his functions as prime
minister until the vote is held, and expressed readiness to continue to
lead the government should his political party gain a majority in the
polls.
In remarks ahead of a government meeting on October 16, Pashinian said
Armenia is entering "a new historical period" during which "it should
complete the nonviolent velvet revolution that started in spring."
Arman Egoian, a spokesman for Pashinian, told RFE/RL on October 15 that
the cabinet will hold an extraordinary session a day after Pashinian
announced his resignation.
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