The Constitution of Armenia requires that the President of the Republic shall be impartial, guided by nationwide and pan-national interests. The opposition "Armenia" Bloc noted this in a statement released Friday. It added as follows:

"Armenia is facing serious internal and external challenges today.

There is no alternative to nationwide unity, public solidarity.

But these authorities, which have brought the country to the brink of collapse, divided the society, have decided to continue the same way of working and be guided not by the state, but only by their petty team interests.

Although the institution of the President should act as a truly neutral institution uniting the society, the authorities of the day have decided to nominate and single-handedly elect the Republic’s president solely of their own force.

The international community maintains inaction and silence toward the obvious facts of the retreat of democracy, including in terms of the formation of a one-man dictatorship.

We have discussed the expediency of nominating a [presidential] candidate, but in the current situation we consider it unacceptable and wrong to even participate in the legitimation of that election indirectly.

Based on these confirmations, the [opposition] 'Armenia' and 'With Honor' Factions of the National Assembly have decided not to participate in any way in the [parliament’s] election of the [next] President of the Republic."