LIVE. Parliament session kicks off. Election of prime minister on agenda (video)
The parliament session has kicked off with the election of a prime minister on the agenda. The Yelk (Way Out) Faction has nominated acting PM Nikol Pashinyan’s candidacy to this office, whereas the other factions have nominated no candidates. A number of other bills are also on the agenda. Pashinyan tendered a technical resignation October 16 in order to trigger the process of disbanding the parliament and holding early elections. Under the law, if a prime minister resigns lawmakers must elect a new PM within two weeks. If MPs fail to elect a PM during the first vote, a second round takes place a week later. Prior to the vote, parliamentary factions must nominate candidates for the election. All factions agreed that they wouldn’t nominate anyone in order to pave way for dissolution. But the Yelk faction nominated incumbent Nikol Pashinyan in a technical maneuver because the Constitution says that a "vote" must take place. Lawmakers are expected to deliberately vote down Pashinyan in order to fail the election and head for eventual dissolution, and early elections. Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyan’s Republican Party (RPA) still has most seats in parliament. Since taking office, PM Nikol Pashinyan has numerously said that the incumbent parliament doesn’t represent the people and that early elections should take place as soon as possible. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced from the parliament floor that his nomination as a candidate for prime minister in the first round of election today is a formality. He emphasized that he has been nominated not for re-election, but for being not elected. “Therefore, the National Assembly today shouldn’t vote in favor of me. And the meaning of being nominated is not to leave space for any manipulations around the legitimacy of the upcoming parliamentary elections. At this moment I can note that it is definite and undoubted that we will have early elections of parliament in this December, elections which eventually must become the final destination of the Armenian 2018 non violent, velvet, democratic revolution’s final victory,” Pashinyan said.
