Nikol Pashinyan 'ready' to become prime minister

Armenia’s parliament is meeting tomorrow to pick a new premier. So far, Pashinyan is the only candidate, but he does not have a majority of votes. He pledged no changes in relations with Russia.

Erevan (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Nikol Pashinyan, the opposition leader who in a few weeks ended Serzh Sargsyan's ten-year hold on power, said that he was “ready” to become prime minister. He spoke yesterday afternoon to tens of thousands of protesters in Republic Square, Yerevan’s central square.

Following Sargsyan’s decision to quit on 23 April, a special session of the Armenian parliament has been scheduled for tomorrow to elect the new prime minister.

So far, Sargsyan’s Republican Party (RP) has not put forward any candidate. However, the only candidate, Pashinyan, 42, can count only on 31 votes from the Prosperous Armenia Party, seven votes from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Party and nine votes from the Way Out (Yelk) Alliance: a total of 47 votes.

To be elected, he needs 53 votes in the 105-member assembly. Some experts expect Pashinyan to get at least six votes from RP crossovers.

Since 13 April, Pashinyan’s "velvet revolution" has spread to many parts of the country with non-violent demonstrations. The opposition leader asked that no demonstration be held tomorrow.

Pashinyan’s great success is due to Sargsyan’s great unpopularity. During his ten years in power as president, followed by a few weeks as prime minister, the ousted leader has been accused of letting the economy fall in the hands of oligarchs, and allowing Armenian society to rot under the weight of corruption and poverty.

As Armenia’s main foreign partner (with investments, aid and a military base on its borders), Russia has called for a compromise.

In his statements, Pashinyan said that he does not want to endanger relations between Yerevan and Moscow. The problems of Armenia, he explains, are not imported from neighbouring countries, but caused by the corruption of the country’s political system.

• armenia
• russia
• economy
• democracy
• nikol pashinyan
• serzh sargsyan
• corruption
• protests
• velvet revolution