How Many Votes Are Needed for the Opposition to Declare Impeachment of the Armenian Prime Minister

How many votes are needed for the opposition to declare the impeachment of the Armenian Prime Minister? To initiate the process, it is necessary to present a candidate for the Prime Minister and collect 36 signatures within 24 hours of obtaining the document. The opposition factions 'Hayastan' and 'Pativ Unem' have 35 deputies, and they need to either 'recruit' one more from the ruling party or gain the support of the only independent deputy, Ishkhan Zakaryan. However, they have not yet discussed this matter with him.

After collecting the signatures, a vote must be called within 48-72 hours. A minimum of 54 votes is required for impeachment, meaning the opposition needs the support of an additional 18 deputies. This issue may be solvable through street pressure.

What procedure does the country's main law stipulate? According to the Armenian Constitution, a draft decision to express no confidence in the Prime Minister can be presented by at least one-third of all deputies. This is only the case if a new candidate for Prime Minister is proposed simultaneously with the draft decision. The draft decision is put to a vote no earlier than 48 hours and no later than 72 hours after its submission.

The decision is adopted by a majority of votes in a nominal vote. If adopted, it is considered that the Prime Minister has resigned. Political scientists believe it is improbable for such a decision to be taken in the National Assembly. They explain that the opposition's votes will not be sufficient, and deputies from the ruling party will not join their demand.

According to the Constitution, if the draft decision to express no confidence in the Prime Minister is not adopted, a new draft can be presented no earlier than six months later.