YEREVAN. – The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) will support the election of the Prime Minister. The important thing is that the 53 votes will be ensured, and the person who has the trust of the one-third will become Prime Minister. 

National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman, RPA spokesperson Eduard Sharmazanov, on Thursday told the abovementioned to reporters in parliament.

“One thing should be understood that we don’t have a country to lead to shocks,” he said, in particular. “What I’m saying—especially regarding the current internal political and foreign political situation in the country, and candidate for PM—I’ve had and I have conceptual assessments. I haven’t changed my view.

“As for the [RPA NA] faction’s view that we will support the PM candidate who has the [respective] signature of the one-third [of the MPs] and it shouldn’t be allowed that Armenia has a political crisis and we will have a PM on May 8, everything is said in that address.”

Also, Sharmazanov stressed that his view is solely political, and there are no personal assessments in it.

“God willing, my concerns (…) will be dissipate, and each and every government [of Armenia] will definitely justify the hopes of our people,” he added, in particular. “There are successes, there are shortcomings, victories and failures in politics. (…). Politics isn’t only power (…). In that sense, I haven’t changed my view, I haven’t changed my principles. But I don’t think that one shouldn’t see the reality and go, hit his head to the wall with the stubbornness of the well-known animal.”

The NA on Tuesday did not endorse—with a vote of 45 for and 56 against—opposition movement leader, Civil Contract Party Political Council member, and NA “Way Out” (Yelk) Faction head Nikol Pashinyan’s candidacy as Prime Minister. The parliamentary majority faction of the RPA voted against Pashinyan, who was the only candidate.

But on May 8, a new election for PM will be held at the NA, and for which the respective candidates can be nominated by at least one-third of the total number of MPs—in the 105-seat parliament.