If I resign now, the people will not be part of political processes and the representatives of the former authorities will come to power. This is what Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during today’s question-and-answer session with government officials in parliament, responding to a question from leader of Bright Armenia opposition party and the homonymous parliamentary faction Edmon Marukyan. In particular, Marukyan recalled that the head of state, the two parliamentary factions, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia, heads of several cities and villages, political parties and cultural figures are demanding Pashinyan’s resignation and asked how Pashinyan can talk about the people’s support amid this. In his turn, Pashinyan declared that it is important to understand why Marukyan and the other forces and people are demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation and not snap parliamentary elections.

“Those forces’ candidate for Prime Minister is a person who doesn’t have the people’s support and isn’t supported by the parliament. They also set the condition that the candidate must not participate in the elections. Consequently, appointing a Prime Minister will cause a serious crisis in terms of legitimacy,” Pashinyan said, adding that he is certain that if he resigns, power will be transferred to the forces that are recommending Vazgen Manukyan’s nomination. Pashinyan also said in case of this scenario, all the mechanisms of ‘electoral fraud’ will be restored in the course of one year.