POLITIC

[Arshak1946]

Dear all,

Will someone explain to me basic English , what is going on latest election meaning , are these some kind of games in Armenian politic.

My best regards.

Vagharshak Sevulyan,

Member

[Yervant1]

The current members of parliament were elected, during the presidency of Serge Sargsyan, therefore the majority of the members elected were Republicans. Of course Serge changed the type of government from Presidency to Parliament system in order to stay in power since he couldn't be president for a third term. The people didn't want him and they protested with Pashinyan's leadership and Serge resigned and eventually he (Pashinyan) became the prime minister. Since the mood of the people is changed now, Pashinyan wants legitimacy for his leadership and wants a new parliament members who are current with today's situation. In short Pashinyan is hoping that with this new election he'll have more members from his party or parties that support his vision for Armenia.

[onjig]

Will this be a special election ~or was it there to be an election at this time ```

 

 

Good explanation Yervant ~ to a good question ```

[Yervant1]

In parliamentary system elections are held sometimes on decided dates, say four years or five. But when the prime minister loses the confidence of the house or resigns than the president will designate a new prime minister to form a new government. But if this person is unable to form than the chance is given to someone else, if all fails than elections are called. But in Pashinyan's case he didn't want to form a new government without a new elections and the house went along with it, therefore we'll have an election. I hope this was clear.

[onjig]

Yes I think so ~ it is than a special election ```

[Yervant1]

TASS, Russia

Oct 30 2018

Pashinyan once again nominated for Armenian PM

World

October 30, 11:21 UTC+3 YEREVAN
On October 24, the Armenian parliament failed to elect Pashinyan as premier in the first round of election

Nikol Pashinyan© Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure/TASS

YEREVAN, October 30. /TASS/. The Yelk and Tsarukyan factions of the Armenian parliament have nominated Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the runoff election of the country’s prime minister, Yelk faction head Lena Nazaryan told TASS on Tuesday.

"We have just nominated Pashinyan. A number of lawmakers, who left the Republican faction [representing the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia - TASS], also signed the nomination document," she said.

The parliamentary vote to elect a new Armenian prime minister is scheduled to take place on November 1, when a special parliamentary session will be held. Pashinyan himself has said on numerous occasions that his nomination is a mere formality. He also called on all political forces to abstain from voting or vote "no."

On October 24, the Armenian parliament failed to elect Pashinyan to head the cabinet in the first round of election.

In case lawmakers once again fail to elect him, the parliament will be dissolved and a special parliamentary election will be called, which is what the acting Armenian prime minister aims at.

http://tass.com/world/1028484

[Yervant1]

Agence France Presse
November 1, 2018 Thursday 6:11 PM GMT


Armenia to hold early parliamentary polls in December

Yerevan, Nov 1 2018

Armenia will hold early parliamentary elections December 9 after
reformist leader Nikol Pashinyan's political manoeuvring led lawmakers
on Thursday to dissolve the assembly.

The dissolution of parliament is a major win for acting prime minister
Pashinyan whose efforts to reform the ex-Soviet country of three
million have been frustrated for months by the ruling party.

Pashinyan, who came to power in May after a popular revolt against the
country's old guard, said the chamber was dissolved "in accordance
with law" after MPs failed to elect a new prime minister for the
second time over the past week.

"Today parliament is being disbanded for the first time and for the
first time we will have early elections," Pashinyan said ahead of
Thursday's vote. "We will ensure absolutely fair and legitimate
elections and the rest is in people's hands."

An agreement was reached with figurehead President Armen Sarkisian to
hold the election on December 9, Pashinyan said.

That date was officially set by presidential decree later on Thursday.

The 43-year-old former journalist rose to power in May after
spearheading weeks of peaceful anti-government rallies that ousted
veteran leader Serzh Sarkisian.

Analysts said the victory of the popular politician's party in the
December ballot was almost assured as Pashinyan pushes ahead with his
campaign to reshape the South Causasus nation's political landscape.

"The snap polls' outcome is pretty predictable -- in December
Pashinyan will be in control of parliament," analyst Vigen Hakobyan
told AFP.

Since taking office, the hero of the street protests has won applause
for launching an all-out crusade against endemic corruption and
driving many members of the old elite from power.

But the new government quickly found itself at loggerheads with
ex-president Sarkisian's Republican Party which had a majority in
parliament and stood in the way of Pashinyan's reform drive.

New parliamentary elections were not scheduled until 2022 and last
month Pashinyan stepped down as prime minister to pave the way for
snap polls.

He twice put forward his candidacy for re-election after agreeing with
all the parliamentary factions that they would vote him down to
trigger early polls.

- 'Sky-high ratings' -

During his first five months in office he pursued a balanced foreign
policy. He reassured Russian President Vladimir Putin that Armenia
would remain Moscow's loyal ally but at the same time he sought to
charm Western leaders.

During an international summit in the capital Yerevan in October he
danced traditional Armenian dances with French President Emmanuel
Macron and wore matching socks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau.

The politician's popularity at home has only grown over the past few months.

In August, thousands of Armenians shouted Pashinyan's name as he
walked through the streets of Yerevan with visiting German Chancellor
Angela Merkel.

Political analyst Stepan Safaryan said Pashinyan wanted to hold early
elections while he was at the peak of his popularity.

"Right now the approval ratings of Pashinyan and his party are
sky-high but who knows how long this will last," he told AFP.

"That's why he was keen to secure the holding of early polls as soon
as possible."

In September, Pashinyan's bloc won a landslide victory in municipal
elections, getting more than 80 percent of the vote in the capital,
where nearly 40 percent of the country's population lives.

The outgoing parliament will continue working until the new
legislature is elected.

The ruling party did not go without resistance.

Last month Sarkisian's party passed a bill making it harder to
dissolve the assembly and hold snap elections.

The move triggered new street protests by Pashinyan's supporters.

Pashinyan said at the time the adoption of the bill was nothing short
of a "counter-revolution".

mkh-im/as/pma/har