Nikol Pashinyan to preside over HAK rally
On his first working day, editor-in-chief of Haykakan Zhamanak daily, former political prisoner Nikol Pashinyan held a short meeting with the newspaper's staff.
Talking to A1+, Pashinyan said that he did not scold or reprimand anyone as he did not want to spoil their mood.
"I shall still have time to speak about the shortcomings. During the meeting we mainly focused on the planning of the newspaper," he said.
Pashinyan is presently preparing for the opposition's May 31 rally.
"The larger the rally is, the greater its creative potential will be. The number of ralliers will show that there are prerequisites for snap elections which are denied by the authorities," he said.
The need for early elections, one of the key demands of the Armenian National Congress (HAK), is still on HAK agenda.
"HAK has taken the right path and should be resolute in its decisions to crown the struggle with victory. That will be victory for our citizens and the country's future," said Pashinyan.
He thinks that the authorities have been unable to address the interior political crisis.
"The call for snap elections is not a simple caprice. Snap elections will enable us to form a reliable government capable of taking the country out of the systematic crisis," Pashinyan stressed.
The former political prisoner pins great hopes on HAK rallies saying they have yielded tangible results.
"Surely, there are people who will disagree with me. Changes take place in Armenia every day, not only after the rallies, but also between them. It is obvious to me," he said.
Nikol Pashinyan was released on Friday under a general amnesty declared by Armenian authorities. He was among several prominent opposition figures who went into hiding in March 2008 following a government crackdown on supporters of former president Levon Ter-Petrossian demanding a re-run of a disputed presidential election. Pashinyan surrendered to the authorities in July 2009 and was subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of stirring up "mass disturbances" in Yerevan that left ten people dead and numerous injured.
