Armenia crisis ahead of vote

Armenia – Supporters of Armenia’s protest leader Nikol Pashinyan took to the streets yesterday, hoping a massive show of force will propel the opposition leader to power in a key election in two days.

Demonstrators blocked intersections, sang songs, played music and chanted slogans in support of Pashinyan in the capital Yerevan.

The Former Soviet state has been in the grip of a severe political crisis for the past two weeks, with the country’s veteran leader Serzh Sarkisian stepping down in the face of major protests.

Opposition lawmaker Pashinyan, 42, has thrown down the gauntlet, saying his colleagues in parliament should elect him to succeed Sarkisian as prime minister in tomorrow’s vote.

On Saturday, after days of frantic negotiations, two major parties said they would back Pashinyan, but he was still six votes short of the 53 he needs from the 105-seat legislature.

He needs the backing of some members of the ruling Republican Party, which has 58 seats.

The party has said it will wait until all candidates are nominated by today and then decide who to back.

Pashinyan, who is the leader of the small Civil Contract party, has been the only candidate nominated for the country’s top job so far.

Eduard Sharmazanov, vicespeaker of parliament and the ruling party’s spokesperson, has said he personally doubted that Pashinyan was a suitable candidate.

The Prosperous Armenia Party, with 31 seats, threw its weight behind Pashinyan on Saturday.

A smaller party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, quit the ruling coalition and said it would also back the opposition leader.

Some analysts said they expected a number of Republican Party lawmakers to defect and give their votes to the protest leader, sealing his victory.

Observers have expressed fears that the turmoil could destabilise the nation which has been locked in a territorial dispute with Azerbaijan for decades.

Moscow has urged compromise and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week spoke by phone to the interim head of government, stressing the importance of the upcoming election.

As supporters took to the streets yesterday, Pashinyan met a number of Russian lawmakers, telling them his premiership would not threaten the South Caucasus country’s close ties with Moscow.

One of the Kremlin’s closest allies, Armenia hosts a Russian military base and is dependent on investments and aid from Moscow.

Russian border guards patrol Armenia’s border with Turkey and Iran.

The United States on Saturday urged “good faith” in negotiations, with a state department statement calling for “a resolution that reflects the interests of all Armenians.” –