Pashinyan spent Monday negotiating with all political forces, including the ruling Republican Party, whose support is paramount for his bid to become prime minister. But Pashinyan is still six votes short of the 53 he needs from the 105-seat legislature, where the Republican Party has a majority. “People should have genuine possibilities to influence the political situation and political decisions,” he said. Sarkisian’s Republican Party has yet to announce its official stance on the vote for a new premier, even though a senior lawmaker, Vahram Baghdasaryan, said it would not stand in the way of Pashinyan’s candidacy. “I see practically no obstacles to Pashinyan becoming a prime minister,” political analyst Hakob Badalyan told AFP.

Source: The Express Tribune May 01, 2018 08:37 UTC