Armenian government's resignation is inevitable, president says
YEREVAN, March 31. /ARKA/. In an interview with Russian RBC Armenian President Armen Sarkissian presented his vision of a model that should be used for a political exit from the current crisis in the country.
Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, after consultations with parliament-represented parties, announced the holding of early parliamentary elections on June 20, 2021. He said that he would resign to pave the way for snap polls, but will remain acting prime minister to organize and conduct the elections.
In the interview with RBC, President Sarkissian stated that his idea of a way out of the serious crisis in Armenia is completely different.
In his words, the classical option of a way out of a political crisis has been used in many countries: the government resigns and then a government of political or national unity (interim) is created, which begins to deal with amending the Constitution if there is such a need.
Sarkissian said the same is happening when the Electoral Code needs to be changed: the process must go on, and the interim government must follow it and resolve the issues.
"In the case of Armenia, this is a difficult question, but academically it is the right decision. Then, at the end elections are to be held. Such elections will hardly be called dishonest, because there is a government that resigns and has no interest. In such case it will be difficult. to say that (the interim government) did not prepare these elections, that it has an unresolved problem with the Constitution or the Electoral Code," he said.
At the same time, the President stressed that real life is much more complicated and at the same time simpler. “Firstly, the current prime minister signed a ceasefire agreement. And who will be responsible for it? The new government? And what will be the attitude of this new government to it,” he explained.
Sarkissian believes that it is necessary either to return to presidential form of government, or to have a president vested with more powers and a very strong parliament, representing every citizen.
"Or we should take this Constitution and make certain changes in it and balance it, because the current one is absolutely unbalanced giving the prime minister absolute power," he said.
Nikol Pashinyan has been facing opposition demands to resign since he signed a peace deal in November with Azerbaijani and Russian leaders to end the 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh that claimed thousands of young lives, and saw Azerbaijan reclaim control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas that had been held by Armenian forces for more than a quarter of a century.
Pashinyan has rejected the opposition demands and announced snap parliamentary elections on June 20. -0-
