Armenia parliament to elect PM on May 1

Government sends envoys to Moscow amid opposition protests

Armenia’s parliament on Thursday set May 1 as the date to elect a prime minister in a bid to defuse rapidly escalating tensions, with protest leader Nikol Pashinyan locked in a battle of wills with the ruling party.

But an end to the political crisis was nowhere in sight, with the protest leader lacking enough votes to get elected in a parliament still controlled by the ruling Republican Party.

Several top Armenian officials turned to Russia for help as protesters in the capital Yerevan took to the streets for a fresh day of rallies.

“I announce that the question of choosing a prime minister will be debated on May 1... at a special session of the National Assembly,” parliamentary speaker Ara Babloyan said.

Republican Party spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov said it was “realistic” that a new prime minister would already be elected on May 1.

Serzh Sarkisian stood down Monday from his new post of prime minister after mass protests. He had served for a decade as president before that.

The opposition had accused Sarkisian of wanting to extend his grip on power under a new parliamentary system, saying he failed to tackle a litany of problems including poverty and corruption.

Armenian acting Vice Premier Armen Gevorkyan was in Moscow for talks on Thursday, his office said, in an apparent move to secure support from the Kremlin. The country’s foreign minister Edward Nalbandyan was also believed to be in the Russian capital.

Observers warned the crisis could destabilize the Moscow-allied nation which has been involved in a decadeslong territorial dispute with Azerbaijan.

Russia has a military base in Armenia and President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday urged restraint when he spoke by phone to Armenian President Armen Sarkisian, who is no relation to Serzh Sarkisian, and is a ceremonial figurehead. The Russian embassy in Yerevan said Wednesday that its officials had met with Pashinyan.

The protest movement headed by opposition lawmaker Pashinyan, 42, wants the Republican Party to hand power after Sarkisian quit.

The Yelk opposition bloc nominated Pashinyan for prime minister, but he was 13 votes short of a majority on Wednesday. A candidate would need 53 votes to get elected.