YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS. The composition of the upcoming new government of Armenia will feature the Tsarukyan alliance too, PM Nikol Pashinyan said after today’s Cabinet meeting.

“We’ve said that we will appoint a unity government. We must find the best staffing solutions. The Tsarukyan alliance will be involved in the government composition, while discussions with the ARF are still ongoing”, he said.

Commenting on first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s statement that Pashinyan will no longer be able to use public pressure for passing his legislative initiatives in the parliament, the PM said: “As long as there is public support it will be fully used with the purpose of the country’s development. I will step down as Prime Minister the moment when there won’t be public support”.

He also said that early parliamentary elections should be held in the shortest reasonable period of time. To an argument that the HHK doesn’t want early elections, the PM stressed that decisions are made by the society.

The PM said there are other options under the constitution for calling early elections, referring to the possibility that his government’s action plan will be passed by the parliament, which in turn will not leave room for early elections.

Nikol Pashinyan was elected Prime Minister by the Armenian parliament on May 8 in the second round of voting.

59 MPs voted in favor, 42 voted against the candidacy of Nikol Pashinyan. He needed at least 53 votes to be named Prime Minister.

As required by the Constitution, a new government must be formed within 15 days after electing a Prime Minister.

The new Prime Minister must nominate candidates for deputy Prime Ministers and ministers within five days after the election to the President.

After the formation of the Cabinet, the Prime Minister must submit his government’s action plan for parliamentary debates within 20 days.

The parliament has seven days to debate the action plan. In the event of rejection of the action plan, the parliament is dissolved by virtue of law.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan