No discord in opposition Yelk faction, assures MP

YEREVAN, MAY 7, ARMENPRESS. Edmon Marukyan, the opposition lawmaker from the Yelk faction representing Bright Armenia party, assures that there is no discord in their faction.

Marukyan told reporters during parliamentary press briefings that an attempt is being made from the very first day of the faction’s creation to find some kind of disagreements within the faction. “I meet Pashinyan every other day, we hug each other upon greeting, if we don’t have an issue with each other I think neither should you. And during the movement we have kept in a dignified manner what we had agreed upon. As to what we have agreed, we know it,” he said.

Speaking on his earlier decision on not joining Pashinyan’s movement in the early stages, Marukyan said that everyone was guided by their own ideas. “In addition, I think it is wrong to present it in a way as if we had left someone alone. We had agreements which we maintained. First of all, the risk of use of violence, if it were to happen we had to stand next to them. There was violence, we were next to them. As a continuation, we visited all detainees and arrested, serious work was done with international structures from the very beginning when our colleagues were arrested. Pashinyan knew at what moment we will be next to him”, he said.

Marukyan said initially they too didn’t believe in the success of the movement. He said they knew each step of Pashinyan, but they didn’t know what the government would do.

The second round of the vote for electing a Prime Minister will take place May 8 in the Armenian parliament after lawmakers failed to make the election on May 1. Opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan, head of the Yelk (Exit) faction, was the sole candidate in the election. Pashinyan, the MP who spearheaded massive demonstrations throughout the country for about two weeks, failed to be elected by a 56-45 vote. He needed at least 53 votes to be named Prime Minister.

The opposition leader has already been officially nominated as a candidate for the second round. Pashinyan is endorsed by the Tsarukyan and ARF factions, in addition to his own faction – Yelk.

There are 4 factions in the Armenian parliament. The Republican Party (HHK) faction, the ruling party of Armenia, has 58 seats in the 105-seat unicameral parliament of Armenia – known as the National Assembly. The ARF faction – (Armenian Revolutionary Federation aka Dashnaktsutyun), has 7 seats. The Tsarukyan faction has 31 seats, and the Yelk faction has 9 seats.

According to the Constitution, if a Prime Minister isn’t elected in the second round also, the parliament is dissolved by virtue of law.

The ruling party said it will not nominate their own candidate for the second round, just like in the first round. However, the HHK said it will not block the election and will support it.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan