December 28, 2020
Supporters of Homeland Salvation Movement protest in Yerevan
In response to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s invitation on Friday to all political forces to explore the possibility of holding snap parliamentary elections, the Homeland Salvation Movement, the coalition of 16 opposition forces calling for his resignation, responded by vowing to continue its efforts for his removal and the establishment of a National Accord government that will be tasked with organizing the said elections.
Pashinyan’s move on Friday signaled the prime minister’s refusal of both the Homeland Salvation’s calls, as well as growing number of political, academic and civic organizational circles, as well as President Armen Sarkissian, for the establishment of a national accord administrative body.
Below is a translated text of the Homeland Salvation Movement’s announced issued on Sunday.
Nikol Pashinyan announced his intention to convene consultations with parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces to hold snap parliamentary elections in 2021.
We are confident that the prime minister’s willingness to hold immediate snap parliamentary elections stems exclusively from the unabated protests by the people generated by the Homeland Salvation Movement, as well as the people’s anger toward the disgraceful defeat in the war.
The collective demand of tens of thousands of our compatriots, the spiritual leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the intelligentsia, the legal community and various segments of the society is the to force Pashinyan to resign, which has forces him to address the snap election agenda.
We can state that this is the first victory of the Homeland Salvation Movement. However, at the moment, this is a fake political agenda aimed at manipulating and diverting public attention from the demand for the prime minister’s resignation.
A prime minister who has not moral or political legitimacy and cannot guarantee a free and fair electoral process. He has cause an unprecedented national schism, betrayed our national interests throughout the capitulating agreement, has endangered the country’s sovereignty by causing the country’s political diplomatic, socio-ecamonic and diplomatic collapse.
As we have previously declared, only an interim government formed following the prime minister’s resignation can make it possible to create an atmosphere of public solidarity in the country, to prevent the loss of statehood through crisis-prevention measures, after which early parliamentary elections will be held.
Our struggle is just, our demands are well-founded.
We will fight to the end for the salvation of the homeland.