Thousands gather on streets of Yerevan to protest efforts to thwart snap parliamentary elections
Pashinyan Fires Tsarukian Bloc and ARF Ministers, Governors
The entrances to Armenia’s National Assembly building were blocked by protesters who heeded calls from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who called for a rally after the Republican Party of Armenia on Tuesday called an emergency session of parliament and in an unprecedented voice vote managed to alter a key provision in the law to thwart efforts for holding snap parliamentary elections, one of Pashinyan’s key priorities. On Tuesday he called for the elections to be held in early December.
All members of parliament who attended the emergency session were locked in the parliament building and could not leave.
Former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia introduced a motion, authored by deputy parliament speaker Arpine Hovhannisyan, whereby the parliament would not dissolve itself in the event that the prime minister resigns and the parliament fails to elect a new leader after two attempts or in two weeks””a constitutional provision that would abet snap elections.
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The Republican Party of Armenia’s version stipulates that if the parliament is unable to elect a prime minister and is unable to convene its sessions due to unforeseen obstacles, it would simply be in recess and not be dissolved. The motion was approved with 67 votes in a hand vote””an unusual step by parliament””by the Republican Party of Armenia, the businessman Gagik Tsarukian’s bloc and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The only faction that opposed the measure was the Yelk bloc, affiliated with Pashinyan.
In a fiery speech during the rally, Pashinyan fired the ministers and governors representing the Tsarukian bloc and the ARF.
Ahead of Pashinyan’s announcement, the ARF Supreme Council of Armenia issued an statement calling back its ministers–Agriculture Minister Arthur Khachatryan and Economic Development Minister Artsvik Minasyan–from the government ahead of Pashinyan’s announcement.
“Today we have to speak about the new political situation in Armenia and its solution. Yesterday and today a shameful bill was hastily introduced by the members of parliement representing the Republican Party of Armenia, and supported by the Tsarukyan bloc and the ARF, the aim of which is very clear: carry out counter-revolution in Armenia by blocking the opportunities of holding early parliamentary elections. And yes, the adoption of this bill is a conspiracy against the highest power of Armenia ”“ the people of Armenia,”
