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Eurasia
October 5, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 20
Pashinian’s people power clears the way for early elections in Armenia
bne IntelliNews
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian an- nounced in the early hours of October 3 that rival parties have agreed not to field prime ministerial candidates after he resigns in the coming days, paving the way for a snap general election.
The Republican Party, ARF Dashnaktsutyun and Tsarukyan parliamentary factions appear to have backed down after passing controversial legisla- tion on October 2 that would have made it more difficult for Pashinian to carry out his earlier pledge to call early elections.
The legislation was rushed through parliament on the evening of October 2, hours after Pashin- ian told journalists parliamentary elections would take place in December.
The prime minister, a former protest leader who took power following weeks of mass demonstra- tions in April and May that toppled the former Re- publican Party government, called on his support- ers to take to the streets again as MPs prepared to vote on the changes.
Thousands responded to his call and gathered outside the parliament while the vote was taking place, preventing MPs from leaving the assembly. Pashinian didn’t attend the parliamentary ses-
sion, instead delivering an address to the crowd in which he warned of a counter-revolution.
“The adoption of the bill is a plot against the high- est power – the people of the Republic of Arme- nia,” the prime minister said, according to Public Radio of Armenia.
After addressing the crowd, Pashinian entered the parliament for talks with rival parliamentary factions, which resulted in an agreement that no other candidates would be put forward when he submitted his resignation in the next few days. He indicated afterwards that the deal had been agreed when it became clear that protests would again erupt if parliament blocked the planned early elections.
“I have to resign in coming days, but I expect that the Republican Party and the parliament would not make people nervous, as they have to realise that if I resign and they propose a candidate, and they can do it theoretically, this would provoke
a reaction of the people,” he said, News.am reported.
Pashinian is expected to formally resign after he hosts the Francophonie Summit on October 7-12, according to local media reports.