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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that as long as the Armenian government consistently pursues its peace agenda, there will be no war.
Pashinyan made the remarks during a press briefing when asked about his campaign statement that if the Civil Contract party does not secure a constitutional majority in parliament, a new war could break out in September.
“As long as we consistently continue the peace agenda and support it with all possible means, there will be no war; there will be peace,” the Prime Minister said.
According to preliminary results of the June 7 parliamentary elections, Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won a majority of seats but not a constitutional majority.
Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party received 49.825% of the vote, while Samvel Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia Alliance secured 23.281%, and former president Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance received 9.934%.
Business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia Party is very close to the 4% electoral threshold, having secured 3.996% of the vote according to preliminary results. A recount is currently underway ahead of the final results announcement on June 14.
Pashinyan has referred to the Strong Armenia Alliance, the Armenia Alliance, and the Prosperous Armenia Party as the “tripartite war party,” arguing that their victory in the June 7 polls would have triggered a new war.