November 26, 2016<\/p>\n
If the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) wins the majority of votes in the upcoming parliamentary elections, the incumbent Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan will remain in office. This statement was made by Armenian President and RPA Chairman Serzh Sargsyan at the party\u2019s congress in Yerevan.<\/p>\n
With this remark, Sargsyan addressed one of the key questions on the domestic political agenda\u2014an issue that had been relevant since Karapetyan\u2019s appointment as prime minister.<\/p>\n
The new Cabinet has prepared a six-month action plan, as regular parliamentary elections are scheduled for April 2017 in Armenia. Following the president\u2019s statement, it has become clear that the new prime minister\u2019s mandate of trust will be extended for another year\u2014until the president is replaced and the country transitions to a parliamentary system of governance, in accordance with the new Constitution.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan announced his intention to join the ruling party at a government meeting on November 24. He explained his decision primarily by the fact that President Sargsyan had offered him the position of prime minister.\n\u201cEvery government must have a political platform, and ours was, first and foremost, the Cabinet of Ministers of the RPA. Some may wonder why I chose the RPA as my support base instead of creating a new political force. My answer is simple: it wouldn\u2019t be justified. In the context of the Karabakh war, we must avoid any developments that could destabilize the situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n