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Archbishop Mikael refuses from being nominated for Armenian PM — lawyer

"I am fully satisfied with my serving as a man of the cloth, so, I don’t want my name to be put on the list of candidates for prime minister," the archbishop said

YEREVAN, June 27. /TASS/. Archbishop Mikael Ajapahian, head of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, who has been detained on charges of calling for overthrowing the government, has refused from being nominated for prime minister, his lawyer Ara Zograbian said.

"I am fully satisfied with my serving as a man of the cloth, so, I don’t want my name to be put on the list of candidates for prime minister," the archbishop said in a statement released by his lawyer after Armenia’s opposition parties suggested that he be nominated for prime minister.

Earlier in the day, independent lawmakers Hovik Aghazaryan and Hakob Aslanyan announced their intention to initiate a vote of no confidence to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and nominate Archbishop Mikael as candidate for prime minister. Later, Armenian former President (1998-2008) Robert Kocharian's opposition parliamentary bloc Armenia said it was ready to put 26 signatures under this project. Still later, the I Have Honor faction, founded by former President Serzh Sargsyan, joined this initiative.

Archbishop Mikael was detained earlier on Friday on charges of calling for overthrowing the country’s authorities and investigators are demanding his arrest. He has been taken to a court in Yerevan, which is to decided on his arrest within 24 hours since his detention.

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