According to the preliminary results of the 20 June elections, the “hand of consolidation” extended by Nikol Pashinyan, the prime ministerial candidate of the “Civil Contract” party, which came in first place and gained the opportunity to form a new government, did not remain in the air. “Haykakan Zhamanak” reports on this.
Yesterday, representatives of a number of forces that participated in the elections but did not cross the threshold, with a handshake with the acting prime minister, signalled their readiness for the formation of an atmosphere of solidarity in Armenia.
As of yesterday, however, representatives of the radical opposition that entered parliament did not participate in the meetings. Kocharyan, the leader of the “Hayastan” alliance, said during a conversation with journalists that he does not see the hand of dialogue extended by Pashinyan.
Let us recall that the prime ministerial candidate had voiced the proposal for dialogue and consolidation the day before, during the concluding rally convened on the Republic Square.
The prime ministerial candidate specifically emphasised the matter of the Church, stressing that “the voice of the people is the voice of God, and no clergyman has the right to oppose the voice of God any further.”
Let us recall that after the war, both individual clergymen and Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians had demanded Pashinyan’s resignation, making oppositional statements.
Yesterday, however, the Mother See responded to Pashinyan’s call for dialogue. In the response, although there was no word of congratulation addressed to the force that won the elections, it was clearly implied that they have accepted the results of the elections.
Positively assessing the call for solidarity voiced by Nikol Pashinyan and deeming welcome the acting prime minister’s proposal of dialogue addressed to spiritual leaders, the Mother See had declared: “The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has always taken these positions and expects that the newly forming authorities will undertake practical and consistent steps to implement their own proposal for cooperation with the Church, as well as towards forming public solidarity.”
The President of the Republic, Armen Sarkissian, who was also among those demanding early elections, congratulated the leader of the winning force.
