A deputy chairman of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) said over the weekend that he is ready to nominate President Serzh Sarkisian for the post of prime minister in April.
“If I’m not mistaken, I had said in your studio that not only I but also many other people are prepared to nominate Serzh Sarkisian’s candidacy for the post of prime minister,” Armen Ashotian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “But let me repeat that this issue has not yet been discussed within the party, which is authorized by the constitution to nominate a prime minister. Therefore, I am expressing only my personal views.”
But Ashotian also said: “There are many classical literature books on the basis of which plays are staged and films produced. We all know what endings classical works have but we still watch these movies till the end. I think this is one of those cases.”
Asked whether he is hinting that Sarkisian will after all take over as prime minister after completing his final presidential term on April 9, Ashotian replied: “It’s not a hint, it’s a parallel.”
The outgoing president has still not clarified whether he is indeed planning to become prime minister and thus remain the country’s most powerful man. In recent weeks, several senior HHK figures have openly stated that he should stay on in power.
Armenia will switch to a parliamentary system of government after the end of Sarkisian’s decade-long presidency. Its next president will be elected by the HHK-controlled parliament and have largely ceremonial powers.