Opposition MPs arrive in Parliament as lawmakers are set to elect Prime Minister

Opposition MPs from the Yelk faction are arriving in the Parliament of Armenia as lawmakers are set to vote for electing a Prime Minister.

Opposition lawmakers Mane Tandilyan, Aram Sargsyan and Edmon Marukyan were first to arrive. Aram Sargsyan, the younger brother of military commander and politician Vazgen Sargsyan, who was assassinated in 1999 while serving as Prime Minister, told reporters he won’t enter the sitting hall if no quorum is ensured.

“I will not ask questions, I will not listen to the speech, I will sit in my office. When our time to deliver remarks will come, I will deliver a speech,” he said. Marukyan said he plans to make a speech during debates around the election of the PM.

“If the session takes place, we will definitely participate, make speeches and express our stance,” Marukyan said. According to him the majority of MPs are already in the building.

Marukyan stressed he doesn’t regret not joining the struggle of colleague Nikol Pashinyan because all developments which they were telling the MP prior to starting the protests are turning into reality. The participation of citizens in the rallies will not prompt them to participate in Pashinyan’s actions.

“Our decisions have nothing to do with participation of citizens, as we said – if violence happens we will interfere, this decision is in force,” he said. He said they, as MPs, will visit police stations to see detained protesters.

Earlier the ruling coalition – the Republican Party and the ARF – unanimously decided to nominate third President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan’s candidacy for next Prime Minister.

As the country transitioned into a parliamentary system on April 9, for the first time in modern history of Armenia a Prime Minister will be elected by the Parliament.