Saturday,
Armenian President Refuses To Sack Army Chief
Armenia -- President Armen Sarkissian addresses the nation, November 16, 2020.
President Armen Sarkissian on Saturday refused to fire Armenia’s top army
general who has demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and
his government.
He said the sacking of Colonel-General Onik Gasparian sought by Pashinian would
be unconstitutional and would not address the “unprecedented” political crisis
in the country.
Pashinian petitioned Sarkissian on Thursday to sign a decree relieving Gasparian
of his duties shortly after the chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff and
40 other high-ranking officers issued a joint statement that accused the
government of misrule and demanded its resignation.
Pashinian rejected the demand as a “military coup attempt.” By contrast,
Armenian opposition groups trying to oust him over his handling of the autumn
war in Nagorno-Karabakh voiced support for the military’s top brass.
Sarkissian held a series of talks with senior representatives of the ruling My
Step bloc, opposition leaders and Gasparian before announcing his decision not
to sign a relevant presidential decree drafted by Pashinian’s office.
ARMENIA -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his supporters march
during a rally in Yerevan, February 25, 2021
Citing “leading lawyers and independent experts,” the president suggested that
the proposed decree runs counter to the Armenian constitution. He also noted
that Pashinian demanded Gasparian’s sacking after the military’s unprecedented
statement and amid a “political crisis” and “serious security challenges” facing
Armenia.
“There is no doubt that the armed forces must maintain neutrality on political
issues,” Sarkissian said in a statement. “It is also evident that because of the
war the military personnel now need our support and attention more than ever
before. Solving problems of the army and its personnel is a top priority that
cannot be ignored in any way.”
“The existing situation is unprecedented, requires systemic and comprehensive
solutions, and cannot be resolved with frequent personnel changes that do not
take into account the state of affairs in the country,” added the statement.
It insisted that the head of state, who has largely ceremonial powers, “does not
support any political force.”
The Armenian constitution allows the prime minister to again demand that
Sarkissian sack Gasparian. In that case, the president can sign the relevant
decree or ask the Constitutional Court to rule on its legality.
Armenia -- Opposition supporters demonstrate in Yerevan to demand Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian's resignation, .
Pashinian was quick to criticize Sarkissian’s decision not to sack the army
chief. “This decision does not help at all to settle the current situation,” he
wrote on Facebook, adding that he is resending the draft decree to the president.
Sarkissian's move was swiftly welcomed by an alliance of Armenian parties that
continued to stage demonstrations in Yerevan aimed at forcing Pashinian to step
down.
One of the alliance leaders, Vazgen Manukian, described it as a “great victory”
when he addressed supporters of the Homeland Salvation Movement before they
again marched through the city center. Manukian again called on Armenia’s police
and the National Security Service to join the military in demanding Pashinian’s
resignation.
The opposition alliance holds Pashinian responsible for the Armenian side’s
defeat in the six-week war with Azerbaijan stopped by a Russian-brokered
ceasefire on November 10. Sarkissian has likewise called on the prime minister
to hand over power to an interim government tasked with holding snap
parliamentary elections.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
