Armenia’s opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan has warned the country’s parliament that his exclusion from power could escalate demonstrations on the streets.
While addressing the parliament on Tuesday, Pashinyan said if the Republican Party decides to ignore popular protests against its rule and clings to power, a political “tsunami” will sweep the country of around three million people.
Pashinyan urged supporters to take to the streets to pile pressure on the parliament to pick him as the new prime minister.
There have been mixed signs that Armenia’s parliament, which is mostly made up of Sarksyan's supporters, could elect Pashinyan in a vote set for later Tuesday.
The political crisis in Armenia deepened last month after the parliament elected Sarksyan as prime minister, allowing him to enjoy extended powers in the position based on amendments made to the constitution in 2015. Sarksyan then stepped down in the face of massive protests in Yerevan and other cities while he understood that Russia, Armenia’s main ally over the past years, was no longer interested in keeping him in power.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
