Armenia’s protest leader not elected as premier at parliament
Leader of Armenia’s protest movement Nikol Pashinyan has failed to secure a majority of votes at the parliament to become the prime minister of the South Caucasus country.
Following the voting at the legislature on Tuesday, Pashinyan, who was the only candidate, received 45 votes, short of the 53 he required to secure a majority in the 105-seat parliament.
After the result was announced, Pashinyan called for nationwide strikes and called on his supporters to block transport.
Pashinyan had issued an ultimatum to authorities, urging that he should be elected new prime minister in the May 1 vote.
During his speech at the parliament before the voting on Tuesday, Pashinyan, who heads the Civil Contract party, warned the Armenian lawmakers that his exclusion from power could escalate demonstrations on the streets.
The political crisis in Armenia deepened last month after the parliament elected Serzh Sargsyan as prime minister, allowing him to enjoy extended powers in the position based on amendments made to the constitution in 2015.
Sargsyan then stepped down in the face of over two weeks of massive protests led by Pashinyan in the capital, Yerevan, and other cities. The resignation came after Sargsyan understood that Russia, Armenia’s main ally over the past years, was no longer interested in keeping him in power.
The protest movement has accused Sargsyan’s ruling Republican Party -- which has a majority of seats in parliament -- of clinging to power.
The ruling Republican Party did not put forward any candidate for prime minister to avoid stoking tensions in the country, but said it would not vote for Pashinyan.
The opposition insisted that only its candidate should become the country's leader so that it can oversee free and fair parliamentary elections and counter the country’s systematic corruption and the influence of oligarchs.
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