Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he found out about Sarkisyan’s resignation in just three hours before the statement was published at the presidential website.
"I learned about the president’s resignation in three hours before it was published. Armen Sarkisyan called me and announced his decision. […] I asked him whether he called me to discuss it. He replied that no, the decision was made already. We knew about his position on constitutional amendments. Our positions differ. I take the president’s arguments into account and I do not consider it possible to comment on them," the Prime Minister said during an online press conference on Facebook.
Pashinyan said his team has not decided on the candidacy for the next president of the republic after the resignation of Armen Sarkisyan.
"The resignation was unexpected for us, so we did not discuss a potential candidacy," Pashinyan said. "It is impossible to elect a president without the Civil Contract faction. We must create a situation, when the parliamentary majority, the government, and the president work together and bear a responsibility for the country during this difficult time. We will discuss the candidacy, we don’t have it right now."
