Parliament of Armenia has rejected oppositionist MP Nikol Pashinyan's bill against President Serzh Sargsyan with 68 votes "against" and only 4 votes "for". Before the voting, the author of the bill said he realized that his bill would not be put on agenda of the parliament, but it will, sure, make the domestic policy agenda and create conditions for resignation of the president.
"We seek to create conditions for inquiry into the accusations against Sargsyan within the country's laws," Pashinyan said.
"In Armenia which we all strive for there must be no political persecution and inequality before the law," he said.
Parliamentarian from the oppositional Heritage Party, Zaruhi Postanyan, in turn, urged voting for the bill, as sooner or later Serzh Sargsyan will be punished. Postanjayn said "the citizens at penitentiaries are looking forward for Sargsyan." She could not complete her speech, as Vice Speaker Eduard Sharmaznov switched off her microphone.
Armenian National Congress and ARFD did not participate in the voting, saying Pashinyan did not consider the bill with the political forces.
Pashinyan submitted the bill on Feb 20. He blames the president for high treason and grave crimes. Pashinyan thinks that Serzh Sargsyan is accused of abusing office for his narrow interests, which is a weighty argument for impeachment. Pashinyan recalled that Serzh Sargsyan was aware of Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) leader Gagik Tsarukyan's criminal mechanisms of crime concealment and tax evasion and took no measures to bring Tsarukyan to account. Sargsyan started blaming Tsarukyan only when the latter ran out of Sargsyan's control. Pashinyan also blames the President for torpedoing the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide by launching the "football diplomacy" and signing the Armenian-Turkish protocols in Zurich. "Serzh Sargsyan's decision to dissolve the interim commission on investigation of the March 1 2008 events was also unlawful", he said.