YEREVAN (RFE/RL and Armenpress) — The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA or with its acronym in Armenian HHK) indicated on Wednesday, May 2, that they will join the factions of opposition faction led by Gagik Tsarukyan and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in the parliament in their support for Member of Parliament Nikol Pashinyan’s revolutionary bid to become prime minister, making it all but certain that Pashinyan will be elected to the post on May 8.
Pashinyan posted a video on Facebook on May 3, stating that he met with Vahram Baghdasaryan, the head of the HHK faction in parliament, who reaffirmed the faction’s stance on the election.
“I had a meeting with the RPA faction head Vahram Baghdasaryan, and during the meeting he reaffirmed that their faction will support the people’s candidate to be elected as prime minister. Yes, these statements were made before our meeting, but reaffirming that stance during a personal meeting I consider important,” Pashinyan said.
In the wake of the first round of elections in Parliament on May 1, at which time Pashinyan, who refers to himself as “the people’s candidate,” fell short of his needed votes to become prime minister, he urged his voters to increase their acts of civil disobedience, resulting in the closing of streets in and around the capital, including leading to and from the airport.
On May 3, Acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan chaired what he called the final session of Armenia’s outgoing government, telling its members to continue to “diligently” do their job until a new cabinet takes office.
“We are holding the last cabinet sitting in this composition, and I want to thank you all for cooperation and joint work,” he said. “It’s been a very interesting period. I suggest reporting to the public about what we have done in this period.”
