PM Pashinyan highlights strengthening institute of referendum, compares Armenian model of democracy with Athenian democracy
The Government established in the Republican Square is accountable in front of that square, PM Pashinyan announced about this during the rally dedicated to the first 100 days of his tenure at the Republican Square.
“Roughly 100 days ago your united will triumphed when I was elected Armenia’s PM and I came here and told you that you won and your victory is not that I was elected Prime Minister, but that you decided who will be at that position and thereafter only you are to decide who will be Armenia Prime Minister”, Pashinyan said.
According to him 100 days ago the will of the people won and the international community till now cannot understand what happened in Armenia and how it happened. “No analytic center in the world had predicted that such a popular awakening could happen in the Republic of Armenia. Everybody had the presumption that Armenia has surrendered to disappointment and it is also for this reason that our revolution is exceptional”, Pashinyan said.
According to him, the velvet revolution is exceptional not only in its shape but also content, because some might not noticed that the Prime Minister is not a representative of a parliamentary party, but he is the direct representative of the will of the Armenian people. “This is the reason why we call this a revolution, because a de-facto change of the governance model has happened in Armenia and a governance model, which is called a direct democracy, is established in Armenia”, Pashinyan said, adding that there is no coalition or parliamentary majority in Armenia. “There are people in Armenia, and the highest power belongs directly to the people, and the people carry out the direct governance. This is the logic of the revolution. In fact it means that the revolutionary Republican Square is declared the top body of people’s power. This means that as the Government was established in this square, it will be accountable in front of this square. When making Armenia’s most important political or economic decisions, we must gather in this square and you will authorize or prohibit the Government to take this or that action”, the PM emphasized.
According to Nikol Pashinyan, it’s necessary to strengthen institute of referendum. “The Government and the people must make joint decisions over key issues through referendums – this is the second phase of our revolution. In this context, what happened in this square can have a historical significance I the future, like the establishment of democracy in Old Athens. The Republican Square can become the Agora of the 21st century”, Pashinyan underlined.
