Opposition movement says former authorities won't return to power

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Resistance Movement demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has promised that when they achieve their goal, former authorities will not return to power.

Supporters of the opposition blocs "I Have Honor" and "Armenia" have taken to the streets for several days now to demand Pashinyan's resignation. Several hundred people have been detained in the past couple of days.

Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation - Dashnaktsutyun and a lawmaker from the opposition Armenia bloc, told supporters on Tuesday, May 3 that an interim national government would be established.

"It won't be a single-party government led by a single individual, it will not be the government of Dashnaktsutyun, the Republicans, [former President Robert] Kocharyan or anyone, it will be a national government consisting of the capable circles of the Armenian people," he said, Sputnik Armenia reports.

Saghatelyan believes the authorities are going to surrender Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) through negotiations or a new war.

"If Nikol stays, a new war is going to erupt, because he has made promises to [Azerbaijani President Ilham [Aliyev]," he added.

Pashinyan himself staged a massive disobedience campaign back in the spring of 2018 and removed then Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan who had been in power for 10 years. The PM, however, came under fire after signing a statement with the Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents to end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh almost 45 days after the start of the military hostilities. Under the deal, the Armenian side was forced to cede all the regions surrounding Karabakh to Azerbaijan, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.