'Stillborn process': ruling team rejects motion to impeach Pashinyan
Parliament rejects Pashinyan impeachment
Forty-eight members of the Armenian parliament rejected a motion to impeach Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, proposed by the opposition faction “I Have Honour.” Twenty-four opposition MPs voted in favour, while two independents abstained. The motion was initiated by the political force led by former president Serzh Sargsyan. However, the proposal was not even included on the parliamentary agenda.
“A Civil Contract will vote against this stillborn motion and any other impeachment proposals that may appear on the National Assembly’s agenda in various forms — whether as a statement or in any other format,” said Aik Kondjoryan, head of the ruling faction.
Ruling party MP Vladimir Vardanyan described the opposition’s proposal as a collection of “politically contradictory statements,” asking his colleagues: “What is the goal of a political force that, months before the elections [scheduled for June 2026], concentrates all its resources on a process that cannot produce any result?”
The opposition lacks enough votes to pass a no-confidence motion against the prime minister. Even if the proposal had been included on the agenda, it would have required 54 votes to succeed. The “I Have Honour” faction has six MPs, while the “Armenia” faction, led by former president Robert Kocharyan, has 28. No member of the ruling party indicated any willingness to join the impeachment effort.
In mid-September, the opposition submitted a draft motion to parliament titled “On expressing no confidence in the prime minister on the grounds of a national crisis and governance failure.” After a three-hour discussion, the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs issued a negative opinion on the proposal.
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Opposition’s draft highlighted Pashinyan’s “failures.”
According to the document presented by the opposition, the government under Nikol Pashinyan has caused a systemic crisis across all levels of state administration. The “catastrophic consequences” of the ruling party’s policies include the destabilisation of the national security system, the loss of Artsakh, issues concerning prisoners of war and the former military-political leadership of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, violations of Armenia’s territorial integrity, and setbacks in the international recognition of the Armenian genocide.
Regarding foreign policy failures, the “I Have Honour” faction accuses the ruling team of “one-sided concessions” to Azerbaijan and worsening relations with Armenia’s “traditional strategic allies.” Given that the opposition factions are led by two pro-Russian former presidents, it can be inferred that they are particularly concerned about deteriorating ties with Russia.
“This comprehensive failure is the result of policies and decisions made personally by Nikol Pashinyan. We declare that Pashinyan has irreversibly lost the legitimacy to govern. His continued tenure poses a threat to the existence of the Republic of Armenia,” the draft states.
The opposition argues that the only constitutional solution is for parliament to initiate the prime minister’s impeachment. They propose the following steps:
- Consolidate MPs around the impeachment process;
- Form a transitional national unity government prioritising:
- Stabilisation of national security;
- Restoration of the rule of law, release of all political prisoners, and protection of democratic freedoms;
- Rebuilding social solidarity;
- Organisation of free, fair, and competitive parliamentary elections;
- Restoration of Armenia’s international standing;
- Protection of the country from economic shocks;
- Advancing the issue of returning prisoners of war and the military-political leadership of Artsakh on international platforms.
“The only tool to remove Pashinyan from power is impeachment.”
From the parliamentary rostrum, Aik Mamidjanyan, head of the “I Have Honour” faction, said: “The only tool to remove Pashinyan from power is impeachment.” Before the vote, he noted that 34 MPs had already signed the impeachment document. By comparison, 36 votes are needed to add the issue to the parliamentary agenda, and 54 votes to approve it.
“The main force behind impeachment, and the most important guarantee of its success, is broad public mobilisation, including street action. Without this, the process cannot succeed,” Mamidjanyan said.
However, the opposition MP did not specify whether the faction is ready to launch protests. He only stated that “there is consolidation around the prime minister’s impeachment agenda among parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces.”
The opposition faction “Armenia” expressed full support for the motion. Faction secretary Artsvik Minasyan said it contained all the grounds needed to “send this government home.”
Members of “I Have Honour” said they had discussed the possibility of two former members of the ruling Civil Contract faction — Hovik Aghazaryan and Hakop Aslanyan — joining the initiative. Both reportedly assured that they would not block the impeachment process.
Aghazaryan himself also made a statement, but neither he nor Aslanyan ultimately supported the motion.
“I said that we will not torpedo the discussion of this issue or the unfolding events in general. But we have many questions to address, a certain path to follow. Some issues need clarification, so for now we will abstain,” Aghazaryan explained.
It was yet another failed attempt at impeachment.
The “I Have Honour” faction also launched an impeachment attempt against the prime minister in June 2025. At the time, the opposition proposed Masis mayor David Ambarzumyan as their candidate for prime minister, but the motion was supported by only six MPs from the faction. They were unable to gather the 36 signatures required to initiate the impeachment process.
Around the same period, two independent MPs, Hovik Aghazaryan and Hakop Aslanyan, also tried to start an impeachment process. Their candidate for prime minister was Edmon Marukyan, leader of the “Bright Armenia” party. However, the opposition factions in parliament did not back their initiative.
The “Armenia” faction declared its readiness to join the “I Have Honour” initiative with all 28 of its MPs only at the end of September 2025.
