Seemingly backtracking on a statement made last week, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Wednesday that he will not necessarily push for constitutional changes meant to facilitate the conduct of fresh parliamentary elections in Armenia.
He also denied claims by the country’s former leadership that he is bullying the current Armenian parliament and seeking to control the judiciary and stifle dissent.
Under Armenia’s constitution, snap general elections can be held only if the prime minister resigns and the National Assembly twice fails to elect his or her replacement. Former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) still has the largest faction in the parliament.
Addressing tens of thousands of supporters rallying in Yerevan on Friday, Pashinian warned of the possibility of the HHK and other parliamentary forces installing another prime minister in case of his resignation. He said his political team will therefore draft constitutional amendments that would allow the parliament to dissolve itself. He told his supporters to be ready to force lawmakers to enact those amendments.
The premier stated on Wednesday, however, that the constitutional changes are only “one of the scenarios” considered by his government. “What was said at [Yerevan’s Republic] square must be taken into consideration but it is not the only option,” he told reporters. “We will have discussions.”
Pashinian’s earlier pledge to try to amend the constitution through popular pressure prompted serious concern from senior HHK figures and parliament speaker Ara Babloyan in particular. In an extraordinary video address to the nation, Babloyan accused Pashinian of subjecting the parliament to “pressure and coercion.”
Babloyan also deplored Pashinian’s stern warnings to his political opponents and judges who he claimed are linked to Sarkisian’s political team. “Prime Minister Pashinian’s speech at the rally contained extremely dangerous messages to the constitutional order which simply run counter to Armenia’s international obligations to build a democratic and rule-of-law state,” said the speaker.
Babloyan added that he is planning to discuss his “deep concerns” with Pashinian, President Armen Sarkissian as well as other Armenian officials and foreign diplomats based in Yerevan.
Pashinian said that he is ready to meet with the speaker. “It is very important to us that our fellow citizens, including parliament deputies, correctly understand our political activities and have no unnecessary fears and concerns,” he said.
The 43-year-old former journalist at the same time rejected the HHK criticism, saying that the former ruling party’s leadership still does not “understand the situation correctly.” “I am not exerting pressure on anyone,” he said. “I am just calling on everyone to reckon with the people’s opinion … They must not put the people in a situation that would force us to again carry out a revolution or the next phase of the revolution.”
In that context, Pashinian claimed to be unfazed by the declared political comeback of Robert Kocharian, another former president who is now facing coup charges stemming from a 2008 crackdown on anti-government protesters in Yerevan. Kocharian is too unpopular to pose a serious threat to the current government, he said.
Accordingly, Pashinian stood by his assertions that he is strongly backed by the overwhelming majority of Armenians. “I am not in power, the people are in power,” he said.
Facebook Forum