Opposition leader says met with President Thursday evening

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan says he had a meeting with President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian in the evening of April 26.

“Yesterday evening I had a meeting with President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian. We discussed the situation in Armenia and possible directions for solution.

PS – Mr. Sarkissian had also brought documents with him [showing] that he had renounced his British citizenship in December 2011,” Pashinyan in part said on Facebook.

Armen Sarkissian was elected President on March 2, 2018 by the Armenian parliament. Sarkissian was sworn into office on April 9.

Before the election, when the ruling coalition named Sarkissian to be their candidate for President, the opposition expressed concern regarding citizenship issues. Sarkissian served several terms as Armenia’s Ambassador to the UK, most recently from 2013 to 2018.

The Armenian Constitution requires a presidential candidate to have held solely Armenian citizenship for the past 6 years during the time of nomination.

Armen Sarkissian rejected the opposition’s claims and said that he had renounced his British citizenship in December, 2011. But the opposition continued demanding from Sarkissian to produce official documents proving the renunciation records.

Thus, having renounced the British citizenship in December of 2017, Sarkissian was eligible to become President and the opposition’s claims have been debunked.

On April 23, at 16:00, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned as widespread protests entered the 11th day.

On the same day, as required by law, the government resigned.

First Deputy PM Karen Karapetyan was named acting PM at an emergency Cabinet meeting.

Later it was announced that Mr. Karapetyan will have a meeting with Mr. Pashinyan – leader of the opposition – on April 25. But around midnight of April 24, the government said that the meeting has been cancelled because the opposition leader unilaterally made new demands. Acting PM Karen Karapetyan addressed the President to organize a meeting in a format of his preference, with participation of a wide spectrum of political parties within and outside the parliament.

On April 25, the President announced he is starting consultations with both parliamentary and extra-parliamentary political parties.

Later in the day Serzh Sargsyan, President of the ruling party – the Republican Party of Armenia – HHK – said he has requested a meeting with members of the Republican faction of the parliament. At the meeting, Sargsyan presented the reasons of his recent resignation in detail and spoke about different formats of working in the parliament – urging to prioritize domestic stability and security of the country in everything, which in case of any decision can be implemented only through unity of Republicans.

An agreement was reached to announce that the Republican faction is ready to discuss any issue with all sides without preconditions. An agreement was also reached to start discussing in the HHK executive bodies the issue of changing the party’s president.

The Speaker of Parliament announced that elections of a new Prime Minister will be held May 1.

“In accordance to paragraph 3, article 140 of the constitutional law on the parliament’s rules of procedure, I announce that the issue of election of a Prime Minister will be debated on May 1 at 12:00, in an extraordinary session of parliament convened by virtue of law,” Speaker Ara Babloyan said.

According to the Constitution, parliamentary factions are entitled to nominate candidates for PM within 7 days after the resignation of the PM, after which the election is held through an open voting in the parliament.

The opposition Yelk faction announced that their candidate for PM is Nikol Pashinyan.

English –translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan