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Dual power has been formed in Armenia; one of the powers is the de jure power, namely that of the Republican Party of Armenia, which holds levers of power; the other one is the de facto power, namely that of Nikol Pashinyan and his team. And this dual situation cannot persist for long as the formal and actual powers certainly have to disappear at some point. And it should happen through the formation of a transitional government, the beginning of which is expected on May. This is what Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor Artur Sakunts mentioned in his interview with Lragir.am.

According to him, in a sense, we have the following picture: if we mark on the map of the RA all the localities where exceptionally peaceful and non-violent actions of civil disobedience, then the entire map of the RA will be covered in markings of those actions.

“That is to say, that is evidence of the fact that in reality the factual power stems from Article 2 of the Constitution, according to which the power belongs to the people; that is more than obvious and real. As regards the party which is a stable political majority, it only has mandates which constitute an arithmetic majority, which is not reinforced by Article 2 of the Constitution,” he said. According to Sakunts, this period is also a serious test for all the political forces; it is a test as to the extent to which they are going to maintain both their moral and political authorities as RA political parties. That is to say, they are going to sit an examination before everyone’s eyes to see whether they are going to represent or can potentially represent the interests of the citizens of the RA. This, as stated by him, is an issue that is so public that it does not allow any room for any political manipulation and shadow agreements or processes.

“The whole political field is exposed thanks to this movement. And this public exposure, on the one hand, presupposes the responsibility of the parties which have the authority to make decisions owing to mandates. On the other hand, however, in terms of the content of those decisions, their authority should be based on the expectations of the citizens. In this regard, the responsibility of those holding mandates increases considerably,” he mentioned. According to Artur Sakunts, in this case, what was declared to be a peaceful transition to snap parliamentary elections is a test for those political forces. Despite numerous attempts, the public has remained committed to the civil principles of expressing their discontent and disobedience through non-violent and peaceful methods. And, despite the fact that these protest actions involve thousands of participants, the leadership of the movement and the citizens have managed to be convincing in their everyday actions and pursuits.

“On the eve of May 1, I hold that no political agreement or position can be legitimate without being publicized. All the shadow agreements that may not express the expectations of the citizens will lead to tension. And, in this regard, the political forces are to bear the responsibility for potential tension as, for the first time ever, they have to take into consideration the fact that they are the ones to meet the demands of the people’s power as established by Article 2 of the Constitution,” he said. According to Sakunts, the current situation of Armenia and the Armenian people is exceptional in the world. And, in this regard, it is exceptionally unprecedented that Acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan is attempting to solve the problems through the involvement of an external geopolitical center. “He should publicly announce that he is not making such attempts; otherwise, the persistence of silence will substantiate such doubts. Nikol Pashinyan announced on behalf of the movement that these are only the internal processes of Armenia. The maintenance of this principle is the only guarantee that there is going to be no tension in the future,” he stressed.

According to him, on May 1 the RPA, which has proclaimed itself to be a responsible political force on multiple occasions, has to demonstrate a responsible attitude to the situation and vote for Nikol Pashinyan’s candidacy.

lragir.am