NA Deputy Speaker: Pashinyan  actually serves his fourth term

ArmInfo.  In fact, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was re-elected not to a third, but to a fourth term, as stated by Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan in a conversation with journalists in Parliament. He was responding  to a question regarding why Pashinyan is seeking another term, given his  previous opposition in 2018 to the attempts of the third president,  Serzh Sargsyan, to remain in power.

Rubinyan clarified that Pashinyan's tenure began in 2018 (following  the Velvet Revolution), followed by periods beginning in 2019, 2021  (snap parliamentary elections-ed), and now 2026. Regarding the  criticism directed at former President Sargsyan, Rubinyan argued that  the situations are fundamentally different due to the change in the  form of government.

Rubinyan claimed that Sargsyan had promised not to remain in power  but subsequently changed the Constitution specifically to bypass term  limits that would have prevented him from serving a third term as  president. "Our situation is completely different. We are now a  parliamentary state, and in this regard, we have no restrictions on  how long we can remain in power. Furthermore, we must take into  account that the parliamentary system grants a mandate not only to  Pashinyan but also to the Civil Contract party. Whereas a  presidential system presumes that the president has more authority  than parliament," Rubinyan noted.

The Deputy Speaker defended the legitimacy of the current government,  stating that their electoral results are valid, while questioning  those of the opposition. He suggested that issues regarding the  opposition should be addressed by law enforcement, citing this as one  of the reasons for the government's intention to tighten penalties  for bribery. "Because the votes we received are legitimate, and the  parliamentary majority is legitimate. As for the opposition, their  issue should be resolved by law enforcement agencies. This is, among  other things, the reason for our intention to toughen penalties for  bribery," Rubinyan stated.

Rubinyan also commented on the political situation in Gyumri, noting  that the ruling party received over 50% of the vote there in the  recent elections. "Although technically this does not mean that new  elections must be held there immediately, I believe that from a  political point of view, there are sufficient grounds to argue that  the Gyumri Council of Elders should be dissolved. A crisis of  legitimacy has emerged in Gyumri, which must also be resolved," he  said.

Rubinyan also expressed his position on the opposition's mandates.  When asked what would happen to parliament if the opposition didn't  take seats, given that the constitution requires at least 101  deputies, the deputy speaker noted that he didn't see any issues.  "Theoretically, if the opposition didn't take seats, there wouldn't  be a constitutional crisis. It's impossible to say the country has  had an opposition at all for the past five years, given that they  haven't shown up for sessions. Look, there are empty seats; there's  no opposition.  For the past five years, 50% of parliament has been  empty. Therefore, we don't see any problems—if they want to take  seats, let them take them; if they don't want to, let them not take  them," Rubinyan concluded.