YEREVAN. – At yesterday’s meeting in the NA [National Assembly] President’s office with the [parliamentary] political forces, I said that snap [parliamentary] elections must be held in December; I also told about the [respective] mechanism.
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday stated the abovementioned during the NA question and answer session with the government.
In his words, during this talk, the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party, and the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP)-supported “Tsarukyan” factions in parliament had stated that they were not going to nominate a candidate once the office of the PM became vacant, in order to pave the way for the snap parliamentary election.
“I believe our colleagues have clearly recorded the situation that exists,” Pashinyan announced, in particular. “On May 1, 2018, I proclaimed—from this podium—about the fact of some political forces’ committing ‘suicide.’ [But] I can say that, sadly, the series of ‘suicides’ continues.”
Earlier, RPA faction MPs Armen Ashotyan and Eduard Sharmazanov had told reporters that, at the aforesaid talk, no arrangement was made with respect to not nominating a new candidate once the incumbent PM resigned from office. NA “Tsarukyan” faction member Mikayel Melkumyan also had made a similar statement.
