Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pachinian announced on Sunday April 25 that he was resigning, while continuing to exercise his interim functions until the early legislative elections in June. Mr. Pachinian had announced at the end of March that he would resign in April before the elections which aim to get the country out of the political crisis.
Armenia has been in a political stalemate since its stinging defeat in the conflict between Azerbaijan in the fall of 2020 for control of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.
The armed clashes began on September 27 and ended, at the cost of nearly 6,000 dead on both sides, with the defeat of the Armenian forces and the establishment, on November 9, of a ceasefire imposed by Moscow. .
The opposition demanded for months the departure of Mr. Pachinian, in power since 2018, and who has been denounced as a “Traitor” for having signed a cessation of hostilities agreement very unfavorable to his country. For weeks, the Prime Minister resisted protests and calls for his resignation.
Dismissal of senior military officials
But, after multiple demonstrations from both camps, power and opposition had agreed to organize early legislative elections on June 20.
“I will resign [en avril] not to resign, but for early elections to take place. But I will continue to serve as interim prime minister ”, Mr. Pachinian had said. “If you confirm [notre mandat], we will continue to serve you better than before, otherwise, we will transfer the power to whoever you want ”, he had promised.
Mr. Pachinian had heightened the anger at the end of February by deciding to dismiss several senior military officials, accusing them of having wanted to instigate a coup. This episode had provoked new blockages, the president, Armen Sarkissian, having twice refused the dismissal of the chief of staff, Onik Gasparian, wanted by Mr. Pachinian. The latter also challenged the justice, which ordered the temporary reinstatement of Mr. Gasparian.
Opponents of the Prime Minister had even camped for a time in front of Parliament, assuring that they would not leave the premises until after the departure of Mr. Pachinian. Nikol Pachinian, however, was able to count on the mobilization of thousands of his supporters in the street.
The early parliamentary elections in June should make it possible to resolve this political impasse by ensuring the legitimacy of Mr. Pachinian if his party, which remains a favorite according to observers, wins them.