Bargaining with Serzh Sargsyan: Pashinyan Speaks about Non-Ruling Party Rally

The organizers of the Liberty Square rally on Ocotober 10 are giving Armenian citizens a secondary role, asking them to "restrain themselves" and are proposing to bargain with Serzh Sargsyan’s regime. The Civil Contract political union opposes the ideas expressed at the rally. The Civil Contract union considers a new social-political agenda as a top priority and a new politically cultivated platform around the agenda, where the union would not want to be a decision maker or a leader.

Yesterday, during a press conference, the Civil Contract board member and MP Nikol Pashinyan noticed that the non-ruling parties did not present a demand for regime change, as well as the “Serzhik, go away” chant was commented as a “desire”, not as a demand. He also said, that if such a demand was formulated, the Civil Contract union would be ready to join that movement.

“It’s important not to gather people with false promises, and not walk around an empty desert. The opposition and ruling authorities do not have the right to discourage the people. This is our approach,” said Pashinyan. When asked how many people would attend a rally organized by the Civil Contract and when they are preparing to start the revolution, Pashinyan answered saying that in Armenia during the past 20 years there were opportunities every day, however, they will not work with false promises. Instead there is a revolution taking place through meetings in the provinces, formulating a project around citizen’s issues and when the time comes, they won’t leave the people alone.

“Those powers, in 2008, who said that Serzh Sargsyan must resign without any delay, didn’t even participate in the elections in 2013, they didn’t even nominate a candidate and defend the opposition candidate,” said Nikol Pashinyan.

Pashinyan redirected a question to those at the October 10 rally, who said that they wouldn’t allow Serzh Sargsyan to extend his power for another 10 years through his suggested constitutional reforms; “Would you let him stay (in power) for 3 more years?”