Opposition sets ultimatum for Armenian PM – 'step down by noon on Dec. 8'

JAMnews

Yerevan

An opposition rally of many thousands of people took place in Yerevan earlier today, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the current government.

The opposition issued an ultimatum: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan must resign by noon on December 8, if not, the opposition threatened to encourage acts of civil disobedience throughout the country.

Opposition candidate for prime minister of Armenia Vazgen Manukyan spoke during the rally on Freedom Square and announced what tasks the interim government intends to solve. He said that if the current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan does not leave voluntarily, he will be forced to do so.

After the rally, several thousand protesters marched to the residence of Nikol Pashinyan, chanting ‘Armenia without Nikol’ and ‘Nikol is a traitor’.

17 opposition parties have been holding protests in Yerevan following the signing of the trilateral truce in Karabakh.

Opposition ultimatum

“We have one demand – Nikol must leave. We can discuss two issues – the time and hour of Nikol’s departure and promise that our people will not allow themselves physical violence against him,” said Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a representative of the Supreme Body of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun party.

This statement was made in front of the government mansion where Nikol Pashinyan lives – “to be closer to him, so that he can hear the voice of the people.”

Saghaletyan said that perhaps in this way, ‘Pashinyan will understand that his resignation is a demand of the people’:

“If he doesn’t leave by Tuesday, we will remove him ourselves, period.”

What the candidate for prime minister is proposing

“Pashinyan must understand that this movement is a chance to leave in a civilized manner. If the movement fails, the angry people will tear it to pieces. He will leave in any case,” opposition candidate for the post of head of the interim government Vazgen Manukyan said during his speech.

Manukyan said the Armenian authorities led the country to defeat in the war, territorial and human losses; the very existence of Armenia, according to Manukyan, is now under threat, since now the Azerbaijanis decide where to draw the border and do not receive pushback from the Armenian authorities.

“We will never come to terms with the [truce], but it is de facto in effect now. We cannot deny it, as it would mean a renewed war with Turkey and Azerbaijan, and will also be seen as a step against the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Karabakh.

We are not in a position to do this now, but the statement was drawn up sloppily, there are many gaps, the new government must clarify all the nuances in a light favorable to us.”

Vazgen Manukyan spoke about the tasks that the interim government will solve:

restore the negotiation process on the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict
search for missing persons
treat the wounded
the provision of social guarantees to the families of the killed servicemen and the internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh.

One of the most important tasks, according to Manukyan, is the restoration of the army’s combat capability.

He stressed the importance of improving relations with Russia. The interests of Armenia and Russia in the region coincide, the candidate for prime minister thinks, which cannot be said about the interests of Russia and Turkey:

“The world will not forgive Turkey for its impudence, and if an alliance is formed against Turkey, we will be in it.”

“A political corpse is sitting in the prime minister’s chair”

Former head of the National Security Service, leader of the opposition Motherland party Artur Vanetsyan stated during the rally:

“At the moment, a political corpse is sitting in the prime minister’s chair, which is, in fact, a fake.”

“Every day of Pashinyan in power deprives the country of investments, and citizens – of the opportunity for a good life and ensuring security”, Vanetsyan said.

The former head of the National Security Service said that he considered Pashinyan’s statement that he had no alternative in resolving the Karabakh conflict on November 9 unacceptable:

“We will create a government that will be able to provide alternative ways out and raise Armenia’s rating in the world.”

The new government, according to Vanetsyan, is going to restore the state’s internal immunity. He and the leaders of other united opposition parties believe that one of the reasons for the defeat is the shameful state of Armenian-Russian relations.

Nikol Pashinyan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Artsakh, rally Yerevan, opposition, ultimatum to the Prime Minister of Armenia, Vazgen Maukyan,

Who else demands the resignation of the prime minister

Armenian President Armen Sargsyan has repeatedly said that Nikol Pashinyan should resign. This statement was repeated by the National Academy of Sciences.

Shortly before the rally, it was reported that the heads of seven communities in the bordering Syunik region of Armenia also demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the current government:

“The enemy approached the gates of Syunik. At the moment, our most important task is to protect Syunik and ensure the safety of the population. Every minute is valuable and can have irreversible consequences.”

The statement says that on the fateful days for the southern region of Armenia Syunik, many questions remain unanswered by the government.

In particular, this refers to issues of the border with Azerbaijan: community leaders say they have not been decided on by the authorities, and they themselves are the guarantors of the security of their settlements at this moment.