Parliamentary Opposition Not Rushing to Declare Impeachment Against Pashinyan, Aiming for Thorough Preparation

According to the 'Zhoghovurd' daily, the parliamentary opposition is not in a hurry to declare impeachment against Nikol Pashinyan, as they aim to ensure all risks are covered. On May 9, when the march led by Bishop Bagrat reached Yerevan, he announced from Republic Square that they would initiate a process of expressing no confidence in Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. However, nothing has been done so far, and according to 'Zhoghovurd,' the impeachment process will not be initiated during the upcoming parliamentary session starting next week.

Currently, preparatory work is underway. To convene a session on the agenda of declaring impeachment against the Prime Minister, 36 deputies must sign the relevant documents and submit them to the National Assembly (the opposition has the required votes, as independent MP Ishkhan Zakaryan has agreed to join the initiative during a conversation with Bishop Bagrat). Additionally, 54 deputies must attend the parliamentary session to ensure a quorum, which largely depends on the parliamentary majority, the ruling Civil Contract party (CPP).

It is evident that serious public pressure is necessary to bring CPP members to the National Assembly for discussion and voting on the matter of no confidence in Nikol Pashinyan. Thus, to submit the impeachment question to the parliament, the signatures of 36 deputies are needed, while 54 votes are required for its acceptance. The reason the opposition is not rushing and wants to prepare well is that if the impeachment initiative fails at this stage, they can only reintroduce it to the agenda after six months.