11:19,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The fate of the government should be determined by the people, and one of the ways of displaying the people’s _expression_ of will is parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a primetime interview to Public TV’s Petros Ghazaryan.

“I am proposing a mechanism whereby everyone’s voice will be heard, and the correlation of these voices will be quantifiable and measurable. And, essentially, this is a mechanism of forming public solidarity. After all, what is the dispute about? The dispute is the following – who should decide the government’s fate. My presumption, and the presumption outlined by the Constitution, is that the people should determine the fate of the government,” Pashinyan said.

Asked whether or not changes will be implemented until early elections – Electoral Code, Constitution, stable majority, percentages – the PM said this should also become subject of discussion.

He said the parliament majority could solve these issues within the ruling faction. “But we want discussions to take place over these topics, and we want to hear out all viewpoints. We want to have substantial discussions about everything. For all this time, I haven’t avoided answering any question neither from reporters nor anyone else. People claim I am a traitor, they are chanting and accusing me of treason, and I am telling them all right, I am ready to face this accusation. Let the people decide whether or not I am a traitor. Am I avoiding any accusation? Electoral Code? Very well, I have my perception on how it should be, let others also say their perceptions. First of all the parliamentary forces, but of course the other forces should also voice their perceptions,” Pashinyan said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan