Armenian prime minister resigns, says country needs new approach

YEREVAN, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan tendered his resignation at a government meeting on Thursday, saying the country needed fresh policies, after an economic slowdown this year and outbreaks of violence.

His announcement paves the way for the cabinet to resign and the president to appoint a new prime minister following consultations with parliament.

"We need a new approach, new start. That's why I've decided to resign and let the president form a new government," Abrahamyan said.

A former parliamentary speaker and an economist by training, Abrahamyan was appointed prime minister two years ago. In 2015 Armenia's economy started to deteriorate - economic growth slowed to 3 percent in 2015 from 3.5 percent in 2014 and below the government's growth forecast of 4.1 percent. The government expects 2.2 percent economic growth in 2016.

Armenia, a country of 3.2 million people, depends heavily on aid and investment from former Soviet overlord Russia, whose economic downturn has hit Armenian exports and much-needed remittances from Armenians working there.

The government has also faced political challenges, including a flare-up of violence in Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region in April between Armenian-backed separatists and Azeri forces.

Two months later a group of 30 armed men seized the police station and took hostages in the Armenian capital Yerevan. Two police officers were killed during a two-week stand-off, before gunmen surrendered to the authorities.

The incident led to mass protests in the capital, when people took to the streets to secure the release of a jailed opposition politician and demand the resignation of the government and the president.

Shortly after that Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan said radical reforms in political and social life were needed. He said it was necessary to form "a government of national accord" to provide a broader distribution and division of political responsibility.

Local media reported that Abrahamyan might be replaced by 53-year-old technocrat Karen Karapetyan, the former head of national gas distributing company ArmRosGazprom and later Yerevan mayor.

After leaving the post of mayor, he moved to Moscow, to be appointed as the first vice-president of Gazprombank. He is currently deputy CEO of Russian gas producer Gazprom's Mezhregiongaz unit.

Experts say the new government is likely to be temporary and the final configuration will emerge only after 2017 parliamentary election and the end of Sarksyan's second term in 2018, when the full transition from the semi-presidential form of government to a parliamentary republic will be completed. (Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Dominic Evans) </s> YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — The prime minister of Armenia says he is resigning in order to give way to a coalition government.

Armenia's president last month promised to create a government of "national accord" following a two-week standoff at a police compound that left two police officers dead and shook the nation.

It was not clear from Prime Minister Ovik Abramyan's statement on Thursday who will lead the new government.

Several dozen armed men captured the police compound in capital Yerevan in July, demanding freedom for an opposition activist and the government's ouster. The standoff triggered rallies in support of the gunmen and clashes with police in what appeared to be the biggest political crisis in this country in years. </s> Move follows standoff in capital Yerevan between police and armed men, and could pave way for a coalition government

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This article is more than 3 years old

The prime minister of Armenia has announced his resignation following weeks of civil unrest and a sharp economic downturn.

Hovik Abrahamyan told a cabinet meeting on Thursday that the country needs “new approaches and a new beginning,” and his departure should lead the way towards a coalition government.

Last month, Armenia’s president, Serzh Sargsyan, promised to create a government of national accord after a two-week standoff at a police compound in the capital, Yerevan, which left two police officers dead and shook the nation.

Several dozen armed men stormed the building and demanded the release of Zhirair Sefilyan, the leader of the New Armenia Public Salvation Front opposition group, who was arrested in June on suspicion of preparing to seize government buildings and telecoms facilities in Yerevan.

The standoff galvanised Armenia’s protest movement, triggering rallies in support of the gunmen and further clashes with police.

In recent months, there has been a flare-up of violence in Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region. Karabakh is technically part of Azerbaijan, but it has been run by an ethnic Armenian government since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In April, the worst clashes since a 1994 ceasefire broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Barricades, clashes and a white dog: two weeks of protest in Armenia’s capital Read more

In comments reported by Russian news agencies, Abrahamyan said he was stepping down in order to “give a chance to a new government,” which would offer “new approaches in order to consolidate society”.

However, it was not clear from his statement who would lead the government.

Political analysts in Armenia have named the former mayor of Yerevan Karen Karapetyan, a top executive at Russian gas company Gazprom, as the likeliest successor to Abrahamyan. </s> Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has resigned in order to pave the way to early elections or, as he put it, to “complete the revolution,” that led him to power after protests this spring.

“The goal of my resignation is to complete the revolution, through holding early elections and returning the power to the people,” Pashinyan said in a televised address, adding that he and his government would continue to fulfill their duties until the elections, despite his resignation. He also voiced his intention to become the prime minister once again after the elections, if Armenians support his party during the vote.

Earlier, Pashinyan told the France 24 TV Channel that he expected the elections to be held in December. Under the Armenian constitution, the parliament has two weeks to choose a new prime minister after the government’s resignation. If the legislature fails to do so, it is dissolved automatically and new parliamentary elections are held.

All Armenian parliamentary factions said they would not put forward a candidate for the post of the head of the government, thus triggering an early vote. The Prime Minister’s resignation comes less than a week after his meeting with France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as part of a summit of the International Organization of Francophonie (IOF) in Erevan, attended by the leaders of some 40 countries.

The event was particularly remembered for Macron, Pashinyan and their spouses dancing to traditional Armenian music as well as for Pashinyan taking selfies with foreign leaders who attended the summit.

Pashinyan came to power in Armenia in May, following a series of mass protests that gripped the country in April. The 43-year-old charismatic politician seized his chance by rallying public rage against his predecessor, Serzh Sargsyan, who previously served as Armenia’s president and prime minister. Mostly peaceful protests resulted in Sargsyan stepping down and Pashinyan elected prime minister in what some people, including Pashinyan himself, called a “revolution.”

In early October, Pashinyan clashed with his opposition parliament after it adopted a law that complicates the dissolution of the legislature. At that time, he blasted the law as the start of a “counter-revolution.” He also said that he himself was going resign to speed up the disbanding of the parliament and the election of new deputies.

If you like this story, share it with a friend! </s> Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has resigned in order to pave the way to early elections or, as he put it,Pashinyan said in a televised address, adding that he and his government would continue to fulfill their duties until the elections, despite his resignation.Earlier, Pashinyan told the France 24 TV Channel that he expected the elections to be held in December. Under the Armenian constitution,All Armenian parliamentary factions said they would not put forward a candidate for the post of the head of the government, thus triggering an early vote. The Prime Minister's resignation comes less than a week after his meeting with France's President Emmanuel Macron and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as part of a summit of the International Organization of Francophonie (IOF) in Erevan, attended by the leaders of some 40 countries.The event was particularly remembered for Macron, Pashinyan and their spouses dancing to traditional Armenian music as well as for Pashinyan taking selfies with foreign leaders who attended the summit.The 43-year-old charismatic politician seized his chance by rallying public rage against his predecessor, Serzh Sargsyan, who previously served as Armenia's president and prime minister. Mostly peaceful protests resulted in Sargsyan stepping down and Pashinyan elected prime minister in what some people, including Pashinyan himself, called a "revolution." </s> Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan suddenly resigned on Monday less than a week after taking office amid massive opposition protests.

“The people are against my rule,” Sargsyan, who took office as prime minister after serving as Armenia’s president for 10 years, said in a statement. “I am leaving my post.”

The announcement came as demonstrators flooded the streets of the capital, Yerevan, for an 11th day on Monday demanding Sargysan’s resignation, and hours after police released opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan from overnight detention. Pashinyan’s arrest prompted the largest protest to date on Sunday, while scores of troops joined the anti-government movement on Monday for the first time.

The crisis erupted when the ruling Republican Party elected Sargsyan prime minister last week as Armenia completed a transition to a parliamentary republic in which executive powers were transferred from the presidency to the premier. Pashinyan accused Sargsyan of trying to rule indefinitely after two terms as president and demanded his resignation as thousands took to the streets in protest. Talks between Sargsyan and Pashinyan on Sunday broke up in minutes when the opposition leader said he’d only come to discuss the premier’s resignation. He was detained shortly after. </s> The prime minister and former president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, announced his resignation on Monday amid ongoing mass protests in the capital of Yerevan.

Sargsyan made the announcement in a statement on his website, saying that “the movement of the streets is against my office,” so he decided to leave office.

The protests came in reaction to Sargsyan’s appointment as prime minister earlier this month, after he had already served as president for a decade.

The parliament’s vote to appoint him prime minister completed the Caucasus nation’s switch from a presidential to a parliamentary system following a disputed 2015 referendum, a move the government describes as a boost for democracy.

But many Armenians saw the system change as a scheme designed to allow Sargsyan to maintain his grip on power. Under the new constitution, the president’s powers will be transferred to the prime minister.

Sargsyan had long promised not to run for either president or prime minister after the end of his 2018 term, but changed his tune in March this year. </s> Armenia's parliament on Tuesday elected the until-now leader of the opposition as the country's new prime minister, two weeks after massive anti-government protests led to his predecessor's resignation.

Nikol Pashinyan, who leads the liberal Yelk ("Way Out") coalition, received 59 votes from his fellow lawmakers in the National Assembly, six more than the minimum needed to become head of government. </s> Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced his resignation The decision aims to trigger early parliamentary elections, which the Prime minister wants to hold in December.

The Prime Minister announced the resignation in a televised address on Public TV.

Pashinyan said the decision to step down is not an attempt to avoid the responsibility he has undertaken, but rather an effort to finish the non-violent, velvet, popular revolution by holding snap parliamentary elections and thus returning the whole power to the people.

“The roadmap for reaching extraordinary parliamentary elections is as follows: after my resignation, the President of the Republic immediately accepts the resignation of the government and the National Assembly does not elect Prime Minister twice in the next 14 days. As a result the Parliament gets dissolved and the President sets snap parliamentary elections,” the Prime Minister stated.

He said the government and the Prime Minister will continue to perform their duties.

Nikol Pashinyan wished success to all political forces in the parliamentary elections and pledged that the government will ensure the free expression of people’s will in the polls.
Hovik Abrahamyan resigns as Prime Minister of Armenia citing civil unrest and a sharp economic downturn.