A senior lawmaker representing Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) claimed on Wednesday that the former Armenian president “respects” his unexpected decision to voice support for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Gevorg Kostanian, the chairman of the Armenian parliament committee on legal affairs, last week backed Pashinian’s efforts to force snap parliamentary elections in December. Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service, he said the premier is “honest in his goals and desires” and enjoys overwhelming popular support.
The remarks came as a surprise given Kostanian’s status as a Sarkisian loyalist and his past criticism of Pashinian. The HHK parliamentarian insisted as recently as in May that the 43-year-old former journalist is too inexperienced to properly govern Armenia.
Kostanian said he has since become convinced that Pashinian’s actions are aimed at making things better in the country. “His goals, his principles, his direction are honest and as long as they remain honest I will fully support [the new government] regardless of whether I am in or outside the country,” he told reporters.
“Serzh Sarkisian very much respects my decision,” he claimed. “He has always respected everyone’s decisions.”
Kostanian, who served as Armenia prosecutor-general from 2013-2016, also insisted that he is not distancing himself from the HHK. “I just want to you bear one thing in mind: I am not a member of the party and never will be,” he said.
“As for [Sarkisian’s] political team, I was and remain a member of the team,” added the 41-year-old.
Nine other HHK lawmakers also broke ranks to endorse Pashinian’s political plans last week. The move raised the prospect of more defections from the former ruling party’s parliamentary faction.
The HHK lost control over the current parliament in June following a series of such defections. It now technically holds 50 seats in the 105-member National Assembly.