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Arka News Agency (24 April 2018)

The PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia, Giuseppe Galati (Italy, EPP/CD) and Yuliya Lovochkina (Ukraine, SOC), have reacted to the recent developments in Armenian capital Yerevan. 

“We welcome the courageous decision of prime minister Serzh Sargsyan to resign from his post in order to defuse the mounting tensions in the country. We hope that this will lead to a new and constructive dialogue between all political forces in the country with the aim of finding a lasting solution to the current situation, in line with the relevant Constitutional provisions,” said the co-rapporteurs. 

In the meanwhile they stressed that all who were detained while peacefully demonstrating should be released and the right to peaceful assembly should be fully respected. At the same time, they expressed concern at reports from the Ombudsman of increased hate speech and even incitement to violence against individuals on social media, and called for the fundamental rights of all citizens to be respected. The co-rapporteurs announced that they will continue to follow developments in Yerevan closely. 

Armenia’s ex-president Serzh Sargsyan resigned as president on April 9. He was elected as prime minister during a special session of parliament on April 17 by a vote of 77 to 17, but announced his resignation today, bowing to pressure from tens of thousands of demonstrators who had taken to the streets and paralyzed the capital, Yerevan, to protest against his election.

According to Armenia’s amended constitution, approved in a national referendum in 2015, Armenia has switched the government from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary system making the presidency largely ceremonial and strengthening the office of the prime minister.

http://arka.am/en/news/politics/pace_co_rapporteurs_react_to_resignation_of_armenian_prime_minister/