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ARMENIA-POLITICS
Armenia sacks six ministers in fresh crisis
YEREVAN, Oct 3, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Armenia faced a fresh crisis on Wednesday
as reformist Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan fired six ministers after
lawmakers blocked his demand for snap parliamentary elections.
Those sacked include ministers in charge of energy, economic development,
agriculture and transport.
Pashinyan came to power in the impoverished ex-Soviet country in May after
leading mass anti-government protests, which ousted veteran leader Serzh
Sarkisian.
But he has been at loggerheads with Sarkisian’s Republican Party, which
still controls parliament and has stood in the way of his reforming drive.
Wednesday’s sackings came a day after MPs passed a bill making it harder to
disband parliament and hold snap elections.
The passing of the bill triggered new street protests by Pashinyan’s
supporters on Tuesday evening, with the prime minister saying he would resign
within days.
Apart from the Republican Party, the changes were also backed by Prosperous
Armenia and Dashnaktsutyun — two major parties that had supported Pashinyan
during the protests earlier this year. The 43-year-old premier has accused
MPs of stabbing him in the back, saying the adoption of the bill was nothing
short of a “counter-revolution”.
The sacked ministers are all representatives of Prosperous Armenia and
Dashnaktsutyun.
They were fired by decrees from the office of the president, who is a
ceremonial figurehead, on the initiative of Pashinyan.
Dashnaktsutyun had said earlier it was recalling its two ministers because
of tensions and political division.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1624 hrs