The impeachment process has long been underway, but the hearings, which are part of this process, were another important milestone. Firstly, because the Armenia faction joined the initiative. Secondly, seeing the consolidation observed among extra-parliamentary forces and socio-political associations, this was another planned event. Hayk Mamijanyan, leader of the I Have the Honor faction, noted this in a conversation with journalists in the National Assembly today, October 6.
According to him, the impeachment process is impossible without popular support, without broad public participation, without street struggle. “The authorities know this, and their fear of this reality was palpable.” “Yes, this is an integral and crucial part of the vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister, and this is how the Communist Party MPs will join this process,” he said.
When asked whether there were any Communist Party MPs who could join this process, Mamijanyan replied: “Even if there is a signature on this document, it is very dangerous to make it public, let alone make it public during the negotiation stage, because in the most democratic country, where freedom of speech is higher than in the US, and where there are more than 30 political prisoners, this is simply not worth doing. The authorities will very quickly deploy their entire repressive apparatus against these Communist Party members.”
Regarding popular support, he noted that for many years they have been working to explain to the people that they had been deceived. “They told them: ‘Vote, we will go to Shushi and de-occupy Hadrut,’ but in the end, they surrendered Artsakh.” This is a complex process that requires daily work, utilizing all channels, from the media to individual meetings and acts of defiance. So the entire spectrum will be deployed.
We are doing everything we can to remove Pashinyan. I am not ashamed for a second of these attempts; I regret that they failed to achieve their primary goal.”
Referring to independent MP Hovik Agazaryan’s statement that he would join the impeachment process if an agreement was reached that the composition of the interim government would be determined by him and Hakob Aslanyan, Mamijanyan stated: “This is not a process of dividing positions. When negotiations are already underway about what position he wants to occupy, it already means that a certain beginning has been made. If someone had said a year ago that we would discuss with Hovik Agazaryan the process of expressing no confidence in Nikol Pashinyan, he would have discussed it himself; no one would have believed it. This is normal; these are discussions, and we will certainly inform our citizens of the results.”
Regarding the deadlines, he stated: “No one can set deadlines for the Republican Party of Armenia and its parliamentary faction.
The impeachment process can be initiated with 36 signatures, after which it will be included on the agenda within 72 hours, put to a vote, and if the vote is negative, Nikol Pashinyan will receive immunity for six months. We couldn’t allow this. Even if the required number of CP members had been gathered, the repressive mechanism would have been activated against them.
No, we have chosen a path that does not allow for the possibility of failure: until 54 signatures are collected, we will not initiate this document. The moment it is initiated, the process will already be victorious, because the required 54 signatures will already have been signed. This is the model.”