Pashinyan Does Not Rule Out Snap Elections if Opposition Rejects Constitutional Reform

YEREVAN — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has not ruled out holding snap parliamentary elections if his government fails to reach an understanding with the opposition over the adoption of a new Constitution.

Speaking to journalists at the government headquarters on October 22, Pashinyan announced that a draft of the proposed new Constitution would be published soon.

“We will try to convince our opposition colleagues that this is a very important and fundamental issue, one that concerns the continued existence of the Armenian state. We will try to persuade them. If that does not succeed, we will pursue other scenarios, including the possibility of holding snap elections. Who said such a scenario is ruled out?” Pashinyan stated.

The prime minister reiterated that Armenia does not discuss its Constitution with Azerbaijan, emphasizing that constitutional reform is strictly a domestic political matter.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly declared that it will not sign a peace agreement with Armenia until Yerevan amends its Constitution.

“I have said that we do not discuss our Constitution with Azerbaijan because it is part of our domestic political agenda. I have told the Azerbaijani side that it is unacceptable for Azerbaijan to continually raise questions concerning our Constitution, because this is our internal matter,” Pashinyan said.

According to the prime minister, Azerbaijani officials have acknowledged that constitutional matters fall within Armenia’s domestic jurisdiction and that no country has the right to interfere in another state’s internal affairs.

However, he explained that Baku has also maintained that, within the framework of peace negotiations, it is entitled to inform Armenia of its political position regarding the Constitution.

“They have said that they recognize the constitutional issue as a matter of Armenia’s domestic political life and that no one has the right to interfere in another country’s internal affairs. They are simply informing us, since we are discussing issues related to the peace agreement, that they hold such a political position,” Pashinyan explained.

He acknowledged that the distinction between these positions might appear insignificant but insisted that it is fundamental because Armenia’s Constitution remains an exclusively internal matter.

Pashinyan also emphasized that adopting a new Constitution was already included in both the ruling party’s election platform and the government’s program.

“If we are going to change the Constitution anyway, and this is already part of our election platform and government program, what prevents us from combining the useful with the desirable?” he asked.

The prime minister argued that Azerbaijan’s decision to raise constitutional concerns should not cause Armenia to abandon its own constitutional reform agenda.

“We must proceed along this path, and we must have a new Constitution. We have spoken about this many times,” he concluded.