Man who spearheaded protests named new Armenian leader
The man who spearheaded weeks of protests in Armenia was chosen Tuesday to be the country’s new prime minister, and carries the weight of high hopes for a turnaround in the impoverished former Soviet republic.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian faces an array of challenges, including a parliament dominated by the party he denounced as corrupt and how to resolve the volatile question of NagornoKarabakh, a region of Azerbaijan under the control of ethnic Armenian forces.
In one of his first moves after parliament elected him as prime minister, Pashinian announced he would visit Nagorno-kara- bakh on Wednesday. He said the self-declared government there must be a part of any talks to end the long-standing frozen conflict.
Although Armenian leaders traditionally visit the region on May 9, the date on which many exSoviet countries mark the defeat of Nazi Germany, Pashinian’s trip is likely to provoke resentment from Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmet Hajieyv issued a statement insisting “the Nagorno-karabakh region, which is currently occupied, has always been an integral part of Azerbaijan.”
Since a six-year separatist war ended in 1994, Nagorno-karabakh have been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Shooting frequently breaks out across a demilitarized zone that separates the forces and Azerbaijan’s soldiers, and a four-day war in 2016 killed scores on both sides.
Pashinian’s election, capping weeks of political turmoil, delighted his supporters, thousands of whom crowded the central square in the capital, Yerevan.
“We chose a new road in Armenia, where the driver will be the people and not clans. Jobs will appear, people will return, corruption will disappear,” said demonstrator Tigran Azizian, a 42-year-old city subway worker.
Such high hopes could lead to a hard fall, observers suggested, noting that Pashinian has yet even to articulate a platform.
“People are waiting for a miracle, but the risk of disappointment is very great — the lack of a program and of a team make Pashinian very vulnerable,” said analyst Vigen Akopian.
“The fight against corruption demands concrete actions from Pashinian. The elites, sitting on the state’s money sources, aren’t ready for this and will oppose it.”
Many Armenians have stewed for years about the country’s poverty and widespread corruption, but Pashinian was able to galvanize that discontent into a mass movement that was raucous but largely peaceful.