On May 17, Armenia’s former President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s Armenian National Congress (HAK) announced its support for ongoing antigovernment protests in Yerevan. These protests are against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, the protest leader, met with four senior HAK members, including Deputy Chairman Levon Zurabian, to discuss the security crisis and ways to overcome it.
Zurabian emphasized that the people’s revolt against the government’s destructive policies is justified and stressed the need for political processes to conform to the constitution and laws. He demanded that authorities refrain from illegal repression of protest participants.
Ter-Petrosian has not commented publicly on the protests, and his party’s members have not actively participated in the rallies. Galstanian indicated that HAK supports his movement, although specifics remain to be formalized.
Galstanian has garnered support from various opposition forces, including the Hayastan and Pativ Unem alliances in parliament. He plans to hold a conference with these groups to discuss further actions aimed at unseating Pashinyan.
Both Hayastan and Pativ Unem have pledged to attempt a parliamentary vote of no confidence in Pashinyan, despite his Civil Contract party controlling the National Assembly. The Armenian constitution requires opposition blocs to nominate a prime-ministerial candidate for such a vote, though no candidate has been publicly backed.
Galstanian, who also holds Canadian citizenship, has not ruled out his own candidacy for prime minister, despite constitutional barriers for dual citizens. He remains cautious about speculating on potential nominees, urging political parties to lead the discussions.
