YEREVAN. – The information that Nikol Pashinyan has is more than mine.
Vahram Baghdasaryan, head of the National Assembly (NA) faction of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), on Tuesday told the aforesaid to reporters in Parliament.
He noted this when asked to comment on the statement by Nikol Pashinyan—PM candidate, opposition movement leader, Civil Contract Party Political Council member, and NA “Way Out” (Yelk) Faction head—that the Republican faction had decided to thwart Tuesday’s parliamentary voting on the new Prime Minister of Armenia.
“The Republican [faction] shall come to work [on Tuesday] with full force; we shall ensure normal work,” Baghdasaryan said. “[Solely] 13 of the 25 questioners registered yesterday have asked [Pashinyan] a question [on Monday]; 12 [others] still have to ask a question. And after receiving the answers to those questions—our arrangement is such, our faction will make a decision.”
Also, he informed that the RPA faction convened a meeting on Monday. In addition, a party executive meeting was held, and RPA Chairman, ex-President and ex-PM Serzh Sargsyan also was in attendance.
“We’ll give an assessment to the program which Nikol Pashinyan will present; but we also have questions,” Vahram Baghdasaryan added. “All members of the faction are inclined towards having a single view and a single decision. That’s why when the presentation of the program, the Q&A is over, the faction will make a single decision during the speeches. The decision will be unanimous.”
The NA on Tuesday will convene a special session to debate and then vote on the next PM of Armenia. Pashinyan is the sole candidate nominated for this position.
On Monday morning, the Yelk faction held a meeting and nominated Nikol Pashinyan its candidate for the next PM of Armenia.
Also on the same day, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party and the “Tsarukyan” Factions announced that they, too, will vote for Pashinyan.
But the ruling RPA NA faction has not yet made a final decision on how to vote. To note, however, RPA faction head Vahram Baghdasaryan had stated that if the other three political forces represented in parliament nominated a single candidate, their faction would not get in the way of Armenia having a new PM on Tuesday.
Nikol Pashinyan on Monday held talks with all parliamentary factions. His talk with the RPA faction was open to the media.
The RPA, Tsarukyan, Way Out, and ARF factions have 58, 31, 9 and 7 seats, respectively, in parliament.
At least 53 votes are needed to elect the new Prime Minister of Armenia.
