Opposition MP: If Pashinyan fails to resign in late April, people will take to the streets again
Armenia’s opposition Homeland Salvation Movement, a coalition of 17 parties, will continue its street protests despite the announcement on snap parliamentary elections in June, with a nationwide rally announced in Yerevan on March 28, MP Mikayel Melkumyan from the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party told a news briefing at the parliament on Thursday.
In the lawmaker’s words, if the agreement on holding early elections is not fulfilled, it will cause a negative resonance in society.
Melkumyan said he cannot guarantee that the elections will actually take place, adding, however, he assumes that the commitments will be lived up to.
He stated if Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan fails to step down in late April to pave the way for the elections, the people will take to the streets again.
“We will wait to see what happens, if there is no resignation after April 20, the people will take to the streets, I think no agreement will work in that case," Melkumyan noted.
He indicated 3 billion drams are needed for the conduct of snap elections.
"The average monthly tax revenues make up 90-110 billion drams. I think it is very important to provide a few billion of it to form a new government and a normal state," Melkumyan said.
The MP noted that one out of every two families in Armenia or about 1.7 million people are loan borrowers, and the loans total to $8 billion, while the gross domestic product of the country stands at $12 billion.
"If the Prosperous Armenia Party comes to power, and I believe that we will definitely do it, we will forgive most of the borrowers," Melkumyan said.