YEREVAN. – Virtually all MPs were in attendance to Wednesday’s meeting of the parliamentary faction of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), according to Hraparak (Square) newspaper.

“The RPA members telling about the session were in admiration by [ex-President, ex-PM, and party leader] Serzh Sargsyan. ‘We hadn’t seen him that much humane, that much emotional. Every word was balanced and lived; it was very touching. We really love him,’ said our interlocutor.

“Serzh Sargsyan primarily spoke about the unity of the RPA, said that they have enough votes [in parliament] that they can elect, without the support of anybody, their [own] candidate [for PM], [acting PM and RPA Vice Chairman] Karen Karapetyan, and to whom he is handing over the RPA leadership.

“‘(…) there shall be no deserters [from the party,’ he noted, in particular],” wrote Hraparak.

After 11-day nationwide protest actions by the movement, led by opposition Civil Contract Party Political Council member and National Assembly “Way Out” (Yelk) Faction head Nikol Pashinyan, ex-President Serzh Sargsyan on Monday resigned from his recently-elected post of Prime Minister.

Subsequently, Pashinyan announced that they will continue negotiations with the incumbent authorities on Wednesday, and toward achieving a smooth transfer of power in Armenia. But it became clear on Tuesday evening that this talk would not take place.  

Acting PM Karen Karapetyan stated that Pashinyan had posited new, unilateral demands.

Nikol Pashinyan, in turn, announced that they are resuming their protests as of Wednesday, since the ruling Republican Party of Armenia wants to retain power at the expense of Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation.