YEREVAN, May 6. /TASS/. The second-largest Armenian parliamentary opposition faction, the "I Have Honor Alliance," is prepared to back the impeachment of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, its leader Hayk Mamijanyan told reporters.
"All deputies in the 'I Have Honor Alliance' have announced their readiness to begin the impeachment process. Our political force is ready to do this without preconditions. However, we do not have a candidate for prime minister, but we are open to options," Mamijanyan said.
Earlier, representatives of the "We Are Awake" civil movement distributed letters to all 107 Armenian parliamentarians, urging them to start the impeachment process. The deputies will have to consider the issue if it receives 36 signatures in parliament.
The largest opposition faction, the "Armenia Alliance" founded by former president Robert Kocharyan, has expressed its willingness to ensure that its 28 deputies sign the petition but has set forth several conditions. Together, the "I Have Honor Alliance" and the "Armenia Alliance" have 34 lawmakers ready to sign the petition. There are four independent deputies in the Armenian parliament who could potentially sign the petition, but they have not yet commented on the process.
If the opposition manages to put the issue on the parliamentary agenda, they will need to garner 54 votes to impeach the prime minister. Meanwhile, Pashinyan’s "Civil Contract" faction holds 69 of the parliament's 107 seats.