Armenian political standoff continues
Agenda disagreement ends opposition talks
GYUMRI, Armenia — The lawmaker behind the protests that forced Armenia’s longtime leader to resign took his campaign to the country’s second-largest city Friday, aiming to marshal nationwide support ahead of a crucial vote in parliament.
More than 10,000 people gathered in Gyumri for an evening rally with opposition leader Nikol Pashinian held hours after his planned talks with Armenia’s acting prime minister were called off.
Pashinian, a newspaper editor and member of the Armenian National Assembly, and Acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetian were to have met at noon to discuss the political crisis that has gripped the landlocked former Soviet nation. Karapetian’s office announced Friday morning that it canceled the talks because Pashinian was “dictating the agenda.”
In Gyumri, Pashinian remained firm in his demand that he be named head of government when the parliament meets Tuesday.
“There is one road: choose me as the premier of Armenia, as the candidate of you, of the people,” he said at the rally.
“Our de-facto victory should be settled de-jure on May 1 in the walls of parliament.”
Pashinian’s protest movement holds just a fraction of seats in parliament, while Karapetian’s party has a majority.
Karapetian was Armenia’s prime minister until his ally, President Serzh Sargsyan, had to step down because of term limits and parliament voted him in as prime minister.
Sargsyan stepped down Monday after six days in his new post after more than a week of anti-government protests triggered by what the ex-president’s critics saw as a brazen move to extend his rule.
The opposition wants a transfer of power that would ensure that Sargsyan’s allies would not be part of the new government so he could not pull the strings behind the scenes.
Pashinian reacted to the breakdown Friday’s talks by telling reporters that his protest movement has “the key mandate — that of the Armenian people. The parliament has to accept people’s will.”
Despite winning two landslide presidential victories before becoming prime minister, Sargsyan was unpopular because of the perceived nepotism and corruption of his inner circle. The protests over his stepping into the prime minister’s seat after the government was rearranged to reduce the power of the presidency represent the deep frustration with his rule.