“Haykakan Zhamanak” writes about a “deep conviction” formed in Armenia that outgoing President Serzh Sarkisian will become Armenia’s next prime minister, who is going to be the top decision-maker in the country under the reformed Constitution. “There are all grounds for such a conviction, beginning from the establishment of all prerequisites for ‘super-leadership’ to be enjoyed by the next premier and ending with the statements of different members of the ruling Republican Party that their leader Sarkisian is the only candidate for them. Opposition members and political analysts assume that Sarkisian would not have vested such broad powers in anyone except for himself,” the paper says.
“Zhamanak” suggests that opposition parliamentary Yelk faction leader Nikol Pashinian’s statement that if they have no concerted decision in the matter of opposing Sarkisian’s intention to become prime minister, each of the three political parties making up the Yelk alliance will have to decide on “its own path” is, in fact, an ultimatum to his allies: either they join him in Liberty Square for street protests or Pashinian’s Civil Contract party takes its own path. “There is a high likelihood that in that case Pashinian will not quitting Yelk, but will use the circumstance that allies are not obliged to take all steps by consensus,” the paper writes.
“Zhoghovurd” compares yesterday’s government session with a tale about “a good prime minister and evil ministers”. “The Health Ministry dared to impose an order of selling quite a variety of medicines by prescription only without specifying technical aspects of the process and without a legal decision. And while people complained about this new order, Prime Minister Karen Karapetian came to their rescue and solved the issue ostensibly in favor of the population. But in reality the issue that has caused serious discontent among both doctors and patients has not been solved. It was only decided that the new order will be introduced stage by stage,” the daily says.
(Anush Mkrtchian)