Opposition in Armenia now demands the resignation of the government, not just prime minister
Demand for the resignation of the Armenian government
For a month now, the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement has been demanding the resignation of Armenia‘s prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, organizing rallies and protests in Yerevan. This demand was unexpectedly put forward on May 8th at a massive rally in Yerevan. However, it began with the demand to halt the delimitation and demarcation of the border with Azerbaijan in the Tavush region.
Now, after a month, the movement has announced the start of the final stage of its struggle. Its leader, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, announced that opposition parliamentary factions, which joined the movement, intend to initiate an extraordinary session on June 11th. The agenda will be the resignation—not just of the prime minister, but of the entire government.
The opposition factions “Hayastan” and “I Have Honor” indeed put forward this initiative on Monday. The parliamentary council, in which only two out of 15 members are from the opposition, rejected this proposal. According to regulations, in such a case, a session with this agenda can be organized on the fifth working day after the proposal is submitted, which means June 17th.
However, deputies from the ruling “Civil Contract” faction have already expressed their opinion regarding the new demand of the opposition. They explain that “Armenian legislation does not provide for a procedure to express no confidence in the government.”
Experts believe that the opposition movement will fade away; the only question is how this will happen—peacefully or through “radicalization.” Deputies from the ruling party consider the latter scenario more likely. Specifically, deputy Vahagn Aleksanyan from the “Civil Contract” party is confident that the movement’s leader will try to provoke clashes with the police to end the struggle while “saving face.”
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“The decisive struggle will last four days”
The leader of the protest movement, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, stated that the ultimate goal of the movement remains the resignation of prime minister Nikol Pashinyan:
“We can solve the problem if we stay on the streets for just 4 days, 96 hours straight. If we don’t sleep, don’t go to work, and stand our ground. If we endure together for 4 days, 96 hours, I promise we will achieve what we want.“
He also mentioned that he does not rule out “other political solutions,” without providing details. When asked by journalists if he was referring to early parliamentary elections, the archbishop replied, “Among other things.” However, he previously assured that such a scenario was not being discussed.
“In 4 days, we will have the beginning of an eternal Armenia, with a vision of restoring honor and homeland. We will move along the path of our promised land, the path of the victorious Armenian people, worthy of our heroes, our heritage, our future, and our victory,” the archbishop declared.
The rally on June 9 had roughly half the number of participants compared to the protest on May 9. This time, the movement’s participants marched to Baghramyan Avenue, blocked it, and set up tents opposite the parliament building. The protest leader and some movement supporters spent the night there.
The archbishop promised them that the resignation of the government would be the “first step in the impeachment process” of the prime minister.
To submit such a proposal to the parliament, at least 36 deputies’ signatures are required. The opposition has only 35 mandates. And even if the opposition manages to present the proposal, a majority vote of all deputies is needed to pass it. This means 72 votes are necessary. The ruling faction has ruled out any possibility that someone will join the opposition’s demand.
“Another deception for the few supporters”
Arusyak Julhakyan, a deputy from the ruling “Civil Contract” faction, made several posts on her Facebook page regarding the new agenda of the protest movement. She emphasized that the law does not provide for a procedure to express no confidence in the government:
“There are two options. Either the advisers of the ‘frozen’ [Bagrat Galstanyan stated that he has frozen his church service — JAMnews] have also frozen their brains, or the ‘frozen’ is delivering another deception to his few supporters. Both options are bad.“
She highlighted that the schedule of the National Assembly sessions has been known since the beginning of the year. Therefore, the movement leader’s statement that “the National Assembly must convene a session on June 11 at his request” is puzzling. The regular session is already scheduled to start on that day.
According to the deputy, Bagrat Galstanyan has made an all-in move:
“He has no way back, so he is doing everything to shift his failure onto others. After 96 hours, he will declare that he couldn’t follow the path to the promised land because the people betraying the homeland did not join him. He will say he failed because the parliamentary opposition couldn’t initiate a non-existent procedure in the National Assembly.”
Demand for the resignation of the Armenian government
“Attempting to provoke clashes to claim the government suppressed the national movement”
Vahagn Aleksanyan, a deputy from the ruling “Civil Contract” faction, believes that the leader of the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement is deliberately provoking clashes between participants and the police:
“Bagrat Galstanyan views clashes as an opportunity to end the struggle without disgrace. He is trying to provoke a significant conflict, within which the protest will be dispersed. This would give him the chance to claim that the revolution was on the verge of success, but the government suppressed this nationwide, universal movement by using brute force.”
Aleksanyan thinks that the opposition movement has exhausted itself politically and no longer generates the same interest it did in the early days.
Social media comments
Here’s what people in Armenia are saying on social media:
“Isn’t 96 hours too little? Maybe you should go for 98 hours? And may Father Kirill [the Patriarch of Moscow] bless you [addressing Bagrat Galstanyan].”
“You realized that the number of people at the rallies is three times less, you’re already in a panic and trying to use your last hope. But no one will support the criminals who committed the events of October 27 [the 1999 shooting in the Armenian Parliament, which many associate with then-president Robert Kocharyan, who is also linked to this protest movement].“
“I don’t understand, are you really gathering 15-16 thousand people and demanding the resignation of the prime minister, who was elected by the majority of the people? Who do you take us for, idiots?”
“This man [Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan] doesn’t give a single direct and precise answer to any question.“
“We need a smart, well-rounded, educated leader who loves the homeland, who will be non-partisan and not surrounded by either former or current figures. The whole nation will follow such a leader.”
Demand for the resignation of the Armenian government
