Armenian President Armen Sarkissian appointed Nikol Pashinyan as the country's Prime Minister on Monday, August 1. The appointment follows Pashinyan's Civil Contract Party victory [1] in the June snap election. Pashinyan had been serving as acting Prime Minister until the official appointment on August 1.
Following the June snap parliamentary election, the Civil Contract Party secured a victory, winning 71 out of 107 parliamentary seats. The remaining seats belong to members of the Armenia Alliance (29 seats) led by former President Robert Kocharyan, and the I Have Honor coalition (7 seats) led by former President Serzh Sargsyan. A total of 21 parties and four alliances took part in the June election (the original list included 22 parties, but one party withdrew before the vote). There were a total of 2,623 candidates, including 965 women (37 percent).
The newly elected parliament convened on Monday, where members of the Civil Contract Party nominated [2] Pashinyan as their candidate for Prime Minister. Following the nomination, President Armen Sarkissian signed [3] a decree confirming the appointment.
Nikol Pashinyan has been appointed Prime Minister of Armenia by President Armen Sarkissian, as parliament restarts following June's elections.
— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) August 2, 2021 [4]
Pashinyan rose to power after leading a revolution in 2018, promising [5] economic reforms and ousting the previously dominating oligarchs and monopolies. However, his popularity took a hit in November 2020 when the country lost the Nagorno-Karabakh war [6] with neighboring Azerbaijan. The war ended with a Moscow-brokered cease-fire which restored Baku's sovereignty over a swath of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts and was largely seen as a failure for Pashinyan.
In the following months, as recriminations grew [7] over the PM's handling of the war, he stepped down [8], as required by law, to allow an election to take place while remaining the country's leader.
During the first session of the parliament, the bloc representing Kocharyan reportedly [9] protested by banging their hands on tables as the speaker addressed the members. They were joined by Sargsyan's party members.
First session of #Armenia [10] new parliament and here is what it looks like. Is it gonna be like this in the coming 5 years? pic.twitter.com/vTPTP5ijFi [11]
— Olesya Vartanyan (@Olesya_vArt) August 2, 2021 [12]
New parliament of Armenia started today, send help. It's already looking really bad.
— sam martirosyan (@mrtrsyns) August 2, 2021 [13]
The protest was related “to the opposition lawmakers demanding the immediate release of two of their colleagues arrested last month on what they see as politically motivated charges,” reported [9] Radio Azatutyun, Armenian service for Radio Free Europe. Politicians Mkhitar Zakarian and Artur Sargsian were arrested [14] on separate criminal charges of abuse of office and forgery last month, charges they both deny.
“Mr. Zakarian and Mr. Sargsian are not absent [from the parliament] but held hostage. They want to attend the parliament session just like you do, but they are not allowed to,” said Aram Vardevanian, a member of Kocharyan's Hayastan [Armenia] bloc, appealing to the parliament’s pro-government majority, reported [9] Radio Azatutyun.
Opposition “Armenia Alliance” and “I Have Honor” leave the national assembly hall as Alen Simonyan's name is introduced as candidate for speaker of the parliament. pic.twitter.com/rrCIcwg3MZ [15]
— 301?? (@301_AD) August 2, 2021 [16]