What preceded the resignation and what to expect next: Arayik Harutyunyan gives clarification

Former President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan made a
Facebook post on his resignation and future actions. In response to the
question why he did not resign earlier, Harutyunyan noted that under the
previous terms of the Constitution, in the case of the president’s resignation,
snap presidential and parliamentary elections should have been called
simultaneously. However, the possibility to hold them was faint, especially in
light of the blockade.

“Thus, I introduced an amendment to the Constitution, which
was adopted by the National Assembly. The amendment provided for the
appointment of an interim president by the Parliament under martial law until
the end of the incumbent president’s term of office. Article 168.1 of the
Constitution came into force in July, 2023. Afterward, I had my resignation in
mind for a long time and was thinking about a suitable time for that. However,
in order not to adversely affect important political developments with my
resignation, I decided to wait for some time. Thus, I resigned in late August,”
he wrote.

Arayik Harutyunyan stated that the president of the National
Assembly will be the acting president of the country until the elections of the
new president. According to him, this is a matter of a few days.

“Who is going to be the next president of the Republic?
Under the Constitution, only the National Assembly — at the suggestions of
factions — can appoint a president. Thus, I call on the MPs to let their
conscience be their guide with regard to the president’s elections. To remind,
since the end of the 44-day war, I have not been a member of any political
party and am not related to the Free Motherland party. Thus, I neither can, nor
want to be engaged in the formation of the Free Motherland – UCA Alliance’s
position; they will adopt their approaches by themselves. No one has the right
to interfere in that process,” Harutyunyan wrote. 

According to him, this process poses an ultimate test for
our state and political agencies, and we must pass it appropriately and without
turmoil.

“What am I going to do next? First, I will stand by the
newly elected president of the Republic — regardless of who he is going to be —
and will support him to the best of my abilities to respond to the existing
internal and external challenges. Besides, as I have already stated, I will
mainly channel my efforts to support the actions taken to ensure the security
of Artsakh, and will not talk about it publicly. I will not be engaged in
political activities,” the former president of Artsakh wrote.