Interfax - Russia & CIS General Newswire
May 5, 2018 Saturday 11:12 AM MSK


Nazarbayev in conversation with Armenian president expresses
confidence Armenians to find way out of crisis

ASTANA. May 5

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his Armenian counterpart
Armen Sarkissian have discussed the current internal political
situation in Armenia in a telephone conversation, the press service
for the Kazakh leader said.

"Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed confidence that the friendly Armenian
nation would find the right way out of the existing crisis by means of
a constructive dialogue within legal framework," the press service
said in a statement on Saturday.

Since April 13, tens of thousands of opposition activists and
supporters have held rallies and demonstrations in Yerevan and some
other cities of Armenia to protest against former President Serzh
Sargsyan's appointment prime minister. Opposition parliamentarian
Nikol Pashinyan has led the protest movement. On April 23, Sargsyan
resigned, and Karen Karapetyan of the ruling Republican Party has been
appointed acting prime minister.

Despite Sargsyan's resignation, the opposition has been continuing its
protests. Pashinyan demanded that all representatives of the
Republican Party be removed from power and a new prime minister be
elected. The opposition leader later gave an ultimatum that he should
become the prime minister.

On May 1, the Republican Party said it would not nominate its
candidate for the new Armenian prime minister, but support the
candidate nominated by a third of members of the National Assembly at
the election on May 8. The opposition factions in the parliament,
Dashnakthutyun, Tsarukyan and Yelk, said they would support 'the
people's candidate' Pashinyan.

On May 3, the document with 41 signatures supporting Pashinyan's
nomination as the candidate for prime minister was submitted to the
Armenian National Assembly's secretariat. The candidate needs 53 votes
to be elected prime minister.