YEREVAN—Armenia’s Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian resigned on Monday after ten days of unprecedented street protests against his continued rule.
“[Opposition leader] Nikol Pashinian was right,” he said in a written address to the nation. “I was mistaken. There are several solutions to the existing situation but I will not opt for any of them. They are not to my liking.”
“I am resigning from the post of prime minister, leader of the country,” he declared.
“The movement in the streets is against my tenure. I am fulfilling your demand. I wish our country peace, harmony and common sense,” he said.
Read his entire announcement below as provided by the press service of the prime minister’s office.
Dear Compatriots,
I appeal to all citizens of the Republic of Armenia,
the elderly and my beloved young people,
women and men,
I am addressing those who have been standing in the streets night and day with the “No to Serzh” slogan, as well as those who kept getting to work with difficulty and did their office duties without complaint,
I appeal to those who followed live news reports for many days, and those who maintained the public order day and night,
I appeal to our brave soldiers and officers standing at the border, I address to my comrades-in-arms,
I turn to my fellow party friends, all political forces and politicians.
I am addressing you for the last time as the country’s leader.
Nikol Pashinyan was right. I was mistaken. There are a number of solutions in the current situation, but I will not resort to any of them. That is not my work style. I am giving up the post of the country’s prime minister.
The movement in the streets is against my tenure. I comply with your demand.
I wish peace, harmony and common sense to our country.
Thank you.
The resignation was preceded by a day of unprecedented and dramatic events, which started at 10 a.m. Sunday morning when Sarkisian walked out of a meeting with Pashinyan, in front of television cameras and journalists, warning the opposition leader to recall the events of March 1, 2008, when 10 people died during protests against Sarkisian’s election as president.
That statement was widely viewed as a threat by the former prime minister that he would unleash the same violent wrath on the tens of thousands of protesters, mainly young people.
Soon after the meeting, Pashinyan, along with two other of his Yelk bloc members were arrested by police, prompting a larger, more decisive protest rally on Sunday evening at Republic Square, where media outlets reported some 70,000 people gathered to voice their opposition to Sarkisian’s continued rule.
Early Monday morning, people began marching on the streets of Yerevan, while Deputy Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan ordered the release of Pashinyan and his colleagues, Ararat Mirzoyan and Sasoun Mikaelyan.
At around 5:30 p.m. local time on Monday, the prime minister’s office release Sarkisian resignation statement, sparking jubilant protests on the streets of Yerevan and a call for a rally.
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History will tell if his resignation is good or bad for Armenia, however the timing of these demonstrations were not adequate, if people translate that 8% of votes can impose by force their will on 92% peaceful voters, obliging to resign a PM by threats, is a precedent that can bring problems in the future., nevertheless I wonder how come these demonstrations were prepared for the month of April when Armenians were supposed to override all other issues in favour of the Genocide commemoration.
I was not a fan of Mr President Serzh Sarkisian then Mr Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, but his action of resigning from his post of prime minister for love of our country showed the Armenia comes 1st than political gains or political sits. GOG BLESS ARMENIA!
I agree with you.
No thanks to the ARF, rather than be a part of the people, the flip flopping decaying ARF chose to sponsor a leader like Sargsyan in exchange for a couple paltry ministerial positions, effectively backstabbing the people they claim they care so much about in the back. This resignation may very well also be the death nail for the ARF in Armenia, the chose corruption over the people when it counted the most. The people of Armenia will remember who stood where when the this critical moment arrived.
If you want to see what corruption is, go to EU countries like Italy, Spain, Greece, and compare with Armenia a country that was under Soviet rule for over 70 years.
Russophile much?
ARF always manages to position itself on the wrong side of the tracks. What a PR nightmare. This has set it back at least a decade and now how to rehabilitate the brand after such a disastrous decision?
This resignation should be bad news for Dashnaktsutyun who was conniving* with S. Sargsyan.
Hopefully this thug along with other corrupt Soviet Era thieves and traitors will disappear from Armenia altogether.
The brave people of Armenia should serve as models to empower the Diaspora to get rid of OUR OWN mafias who have hijacked many if not most of our traditional organizations and are damaging Hai Tahd, Hayastan, Artsakh, Arevmdahayastan and the global Armenian community. NOT ONE of the official Diaspora organizations stood by the people of Armenia UNTIL Serzh stepped down. Let us continue to hope for positive change even though the apparatchiks in Arevelyan Hayastan are all still in place.
So now we are dispensing with the voting process. Democracy by mob rule?
What democracy? People of Armenia didn’t vote him in as PM, or for a Parliamentary government to begin with for that matter
Congratulations to all Armenians
Finally Serzh made his own step, joined the “Reject Serzh” campaign and rejected Serzh.
HHK will not give in easily. Extreme vigilance, determination, and
prudence will be needed to complete the political process of power transfer.
I am not worried. Vlad will step in soon.