Pashinyan Fails to Get Majority Vote in Parliament
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MAY 5, 2018 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXVIII, NO. 41, Issue 4536 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Holy King Armenian Pashinyan Church in Istanbul Fails to Get Vandalized ISTANBUL (Armenpress) — The Holy King Armenian Church in Kadikoy, a district in Istanbul, Turkey, was vandalized overnight on April 30. Majority Images posted on social media show how the vandals sprayed “Bu Vatan Bizim, meaning “This Fatherland Is Ours” in Turkish on the church walls. Vote in The vandals also dumped a large amount of trash in front of the gates. Istanbul Armenian journalist Hayko Bagdat Parliament noted on Twitter, “An attack on Armenian church- es during election periods is routine [in Turkey],” Bagdat wrote on Twitter. “If you ask him here, it’s YEREVAN (Combined Sources) — Ergenekon, if you ask him there, it’s political Islam, Armenian opposition leader Nikol if you ask the other, it’s the outside forces…But it Pashinyan failed to secure a majority of always happens.” votes in parliament on An investigation is underway. Tuesday, May 1, to become prime minister after weeks of protests forced the previous Singer Aznavour Taken holder of the post to step Nikol Pashinyan in Parliament. Ill in St. Petersburg down. Pashinyan, who was the Before Concert only candidate for the post, islature will be as prime minister.The vote was called after had called on individual mem- automatically Serzh Sargsyan, who led Armenia as presi- ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Tass) — French bers of parliament to cross disbanded and dent for 10 years and left office in early Armenian singer Charles Aznavour was hospital- party lines and support him fresh elections April because of term limits, stepped down ized in St. Petersburg on April 25, the Russian NTV when the ruling Republican will be called if it amid the mass anti-government protests channel reports. party said that it would not again fails to Pashinyan led. Aznavour, 93, felt ill during a rehearsal for a con- vote for him after a nine-hour choose a pre- The Yelk or “Exit” opposition alliance cert that was scheduled to take place that day, session. mier. had announced Pashinyan’s nomination at Emma Lavrinovich, Director of Oktyabrsky Nikol Pashinyan at a post-vote rally in Concert Hall, informed TASS. In a vote late on Tuesday, Yerevan on May 1. P a s h i n y a n the start of Tuesday’s session and he later he received 45 votes, eight was again sched- took the floor to answer fellow deputies’ “[Aznavour] felt unwell during a rehearsal. He short of the 53 he needed to uled to hold a questions. was taken to the hospital. The concert has been put have a majority in the 105-seat legislature. rally at Republic Square on Wednesday, off until the next season,” Lavrinovich said. The Armenian constitution dictates that May 2. Civil Disobedience to Continue Aznavour, according to reports, resturned to parliament must reconvene next week for Thousands of opposition supporters had Pashinyan said after the vote that May 2 France on April 27 to continue treatment. another vote. spent the day rallying outside the parlia- should be declared as day of “total strikes.” Promoters have said the concert will be moved The vote result means that the parlia- ment building to support Pashinyan. While Delivering a speech at a rally in Republic to April 9, 2019. ment will have to meet again on May 8 for addressing MPs earlier in the day, he Square, he said that “all interstate roads, another debate on the next prime minister. warned that Armenia would be struck by a Armenian Cyclist Edgar Under the Armenian constitution, the leg- “political tsunami” if he were not appointed see ELECTIONS, page 2 Stepanyan Wins Dana HAROUT EKMANIAN PHOTO Point Grand Prix Diocesan Council DANA POINT, Calif. (Panorama.am) — Leading Recommends Election Armenian cyclist Edgar Stepanyan has become the winner of 12th Annual Dana Point Grand Prix of Procedure for New Cycling championship held in California, US on April 29, the cyclist announced in a post Primate after Surprise on Facebook. Resignation Stepanyan took part in the cycling event as part of the Velo Pasadena Racing American team, reports Panorama.am. By Aram Arkun “Dana Point Grand Prix is one of the top-10 US calendar championships. My biggest goal was win- Mirror-Spectator Staff ning it. I won by 19 seconds solo breakaway. So, I did my best to win and dedicate this victory to NEW YORK — The Diocesan Council you,” he said. issued its first communication on April 30 concerning the upcoming election of the Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern). Diocesan Vartan Oskanian at Harvard Law School Council Chair James M. Kalustian, the sig- natory of this communication, confirmed INSIDE Vartan Oskanian Speaks at to the Mirror-Spectator on April 30 that this letter, addressed to the Diocesan cler- gy, Assembly delegates and parish council Harvard on Self-Determination chairs, represented the result of its recent Tellalian deliberations and its recommendations to CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Vartan Oskanian, foreign minister of Armenia from 1998 the Assembly meeting which will take place to 2008, delivered a speech on April 12 at Harvard Law School entitled “Self- only a few days later. Donation Determination Under International Law: The The letter notes that on April 25, Cases of Kosovo and Nagorno-Karabakh.” Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, longtime Page 14 By Aram Arkun Oskanian drew on his 10 years of experience as for- Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator Staff eign minister and chief negotiator of Armenia on Church of America (Eastern) unexpectedly the Nagorno-Karabakh or Artsakh issue. announced the withdrawal of his candidacy The talk was organized by the joint efforts of the for the election of the Primate. After inten- INDEX Harvard International Law Journal, Harvard West Coast Law Students Association, sive and frequent meetings and delibera- Arts and Living . 13 Harvard European Law Association and the Harvard Middle Eastern Law Students tions, the Council prepared its recommen- Armenia . 2,3 Association and sponsored by the National Association for Armenian Studies and dations, which it is proffering to the upcom- Community News. 6 Research. It was moderated by Anna Crowe, lecturer on law and clinical instructor ing Assembly. The Council both studied the Editorial . 16 at the Human Rights Program of Harvard Law School. Diocesan Bylaws and consulted with International . 4,5 see OSKANIAN, page 12, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II. see RESIGNATION, page 20 2 S ATURDAY, M AY 5 , 2 0 1 8 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Pashinyan Fails to Get Majority Karapetian Beats Azeri Vote in Parliament Opponent to Become ELECTIONS, from page 1 ing party has “destroyed itself at once legality, to find the settlement of issues European Champ railways, streets, airports and every- and irreversibly.” He also said that the in the spirit of sympathy and under- TEL AVIV, Israel (news.am) — Ferdinand thing that is possible will be blocked full victory of his popular movement is standing, avoiding our people from con- Karapetian of Armenia became the 2018 European from 8.15 am tomorrow.” inevitable. flict situations. judo champion on April 28. Pashinyan said in his speech that on “A force declaring a war on its own “We appeal to all the parliamentary Karapetian, 26, defeated his Azerbaijani opponent May 1 more than 250,000 citizens had people cannot exist and what we are see- factions to continue their efforts for the Hidayet Heydarov in the 73-kilogram weight class of stood in Republic Square for more than ing is not the HHK or its parliamentary settlement of the current situation the European Judo Championships 2018 being held 12 hours. faction but a ghost,” he said. He strong- through negotiations. in Tel Aviv, Israel. “This means that our victory has been ly condemned HHK claims that his pre- “Our exhortation and request is to As a result, Karapetian repeated the success recorded; this is a new Armenia, which is miership would hurt Russian-Armenian dear children of our people, to maintain achieved by Armen Nazaryan, the Armenian Judo controlled and governed by the people,” ties and increase the risk of a war with solidarity, vigilance, not to provoke National Team head coach, by becoming European he said. Azerbaijan. provocations. Let us not allow the hatred champion 13 years later. “The behavior of RPA [Republican Stances and Goals and enmity we face in our lives so that A total of 368 athletes from 44 countries are com- Party of Armenia] today was a complete During the parliamentary question the current situation can be solved with peting in the European Judo Championships 2018. provocation against the people and their period, Pashinyan expanded on some of wisdom, in the spirit of love and under- candidate, but the political corpse called his positions, including hiding property. standing. RPA does not at all deserve our atten- “It is very important to enhance the “We pray for the peace of our Chile Ambassador Visits tion. The negotiations, so much dis- effectiveness of the mechanism of prop- Homeland, the security of our people.” cussed today, can only relate to the polit- erty declaration by officials, since now A senior U.S. State Department offi- Foreign Ministry ical funeral of RPA,” Pashinyan said. this mechanism gives them room for hid- cial telephoned Pashinyan on Monday to YEREVAN — On April 27, acting Foreign Minister “We do not have an opportunity or ing information about property,” discuss the continuing political crisis in Edward Nalbandian received Rodrigo Nieto, ambas- option to step back even half a millime- Pashinyan said.