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Pashinian Cautiously Welcomes Ruling Party's Pledge On Armenian PM Vote

RFE/RL's Armenian Service May 02, 2018

YEREVAN -- Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinian has cautiously welcomed indications from the ruling Republican Party (HHK) that it will vote for him on May 8 as the next prime minister.

Pashinian told a rally at Yerevan's Republic Square on May 2 that the HHK's pledge was "only a verbal statement." He said meetings were still necessary with the HHK leadership to ensure the party carries through with its pledge.

But he also called off strike actions and protests for May 3, telling his supporters, "Let's have a rest."

"If we take into account the result of today's political developments, the issue of electing your candidate for prime minister in the second-round election is practically resolved," Pashinian told the rally, referring to himself.

Pashinian's remarks came after Vahram Baghdasarian, the HHK's parliamentary leader, announced that the party will not field its own candidate in a May 8 vote and will support any candidate nominated by at least one-third of the parliament, "whoever that might be."

Baghdasarian said the HHK reached the decision in order to normalize the situation in the country in the midst of a general strike called by Pashinian.

Baghdasarian made the announcement after HHK lawmakers met on May 2, a day after the party used its parliamentary majority to block Pashinian from becoming prime minister in an initial vote following the resignation from the post of the HHK's longtime leader, Serzh Sarkisian.

Baghdasarian's announcement also came minutes after opposition parties announced that Pashinian had secured the support of the minimum 35 lawmakers needed to be nominated as a candidate in the May 8 vote.

Pashinian and Tsarukian Alliance leader Gagik Tsarukian appeared together at a Yerevan press conference on May 2, where they announced that Tsarukian's bloc would support Pashinian's nomination.

Pashinian's Yelk faction has nine seats in parliament and the Tsarukian Alliance has 31, giving him the support from more than a third of the 105-seat legislature.

WATCH: Live stream from Yerevan via RFE/RL's Armenian Service

The quickly evolving political developments in Armenia unfolded at the end of a dramatic day of strike actions and civil disobedience across the country, which Pashinian described as "unprecedented" in turnout.

Earlier, Pashinian said there was "virtually no open road" in Yerevan and other cities because many thousands of people joined his call for a general strike in response to the May 1 parliament vote that denied him the prime minister's post.

Hundreds of people blocked a major highway connecting the capital with the country's main airport, prompting some passengers to walk with their suitcases to make their flights.

Several other major highways -- including those leading to the Georgian and Iranian borders -- were also blocked as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets.

But Pashinian, marching with a large group of demonstrators in Yerevan, called on his supporters to allow passage for all Defense Ministry and emergency vehicles and urged them not to block the army's supply routes or the two strategic highways connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh.

He said the protests would continue until the government acknowledged the "people's victory."

Access to many subway stations in Yerevan was blocked, and railway traffic was reportedly halted.

"The entire railway is not working," said Vardan Aloian, a spokesman for the Southern Caucasus Railway, the Russian news agency Interfax.

Security forces were visible in some places but there were no reports of them intervening in the demonstrations or blockages.

Elsewhere in Yerevan, large groups of students took to the streets again, with some of them heading for university campuses calling on all students to join the strike.

Students and schoolchildren in Masis, a town in Armenia's Ararat Province not far from Yerevan, joined the general strike and were seen demonstrating in front of the city's town hall.

In Vanadzor -- Armenia's third-largest city, some 110 kilometers to the north of the capital -- protesters blocked the buildings of the mayor's office and the regional governor's office.

Residents of the town of Armavir, including striking winery workres, gathered in front of the regional governor's office and demand that he join the "popular movement" or resign.

Reports of protests and civil disobedience actions are coming in from other cities and towns across Armenia.

Students and schoolchildren in Masis, a town in Armenia's Ararat Province not far from Yerevan, joined the general strike and were seen demonstrating in front of the city's town hall.

In Vanadzor -- Armenia's third-largest city, some 110 kilometers to the north of the capital -- protesters blocked the buildings of the mayor's office and the regional governor's office.

Residents of the town of Armavir, including striking winery workers, gathered in front of the regional governor's office and demand that he join the "popular movement" or resign.

There were also reports of the workers at many companies joining the call for a general strike.

Earlier on May 2, as Pashinian marched with supporters in Yerevan, President Armen Sarkisian called for talks to be held to resolve the crisis before the second parliamentary vote on May 8.

"I deeply regret that the political crisis continues despite the fact that everyone is talking about how dangerous it is for the future of the country," Armen Sarkisian -- who is not related to Serzh Sarkisian -- said in a statement.

His calls were echoed by acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetian.

"I am appealing to all political forces to demonstrate [good] will, determination, and flexibility and sit at the [negotiating] table," Karapetian said in a statement. "We all realize that we need quick, civilized, and workable solutions for overcoming the political crisis no matter how difficult that seems."

Karapetian also said: "A prime minister can be elected only in the parliament by constitutional means. There exists no other solution, neither in theory nor in practice."

Under Armenia's constitution, if a prime minister is not elected in the second vote on May 8, parliament will be dissolved and early general elections would be held with the HHK-led acting government in charge of the electoral process.

EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini, in a May 1 statement, called on all political forces to engage in "comprehensive dialogue ahead of the second round of voting on May 8.

"It remains crucial that all parties involved, including the law enforcement agencies and those exercising their right of freedom of assembly and expression, avoid confrontation and show restraint and responsibility, as has been the case in recent days," Mohgerini's spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic, said.

"The European Union reiterates its support to Armenia in its efforts to build a prosperous and democratic society."

With Yerevan under pressure from Moscow to avoid tightening ties with the EU, Armenia and the EU called off plans to sign a landmark Association Agreement in 2013. But they eventually bolstered relations by signing a deal called a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement in November 2017.

Armenia is closely aligned with Russia, which has a large military base in the city of Gyumri. The former Soviet republic is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), two regional groupings dominated by Moscow.

With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-ruling- party-suggests-will-support-pashinian -for-pm/29203767.html

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Pashinian Cautiously Welcomes Ruling Party's Pledge On Armenian PM Vote