Armenian opposition leader, Nikol Pashinyan, who has been leading anti-government protests for two weeks in the former Soviet republic, became on Monday the sole candidate for the position of interim prime minister.
He became the sole nominee after a key deadline passed without other candidates registering.
Whether or not he gets the job, left open by the resignation of long-time leader Serzh Sarkisian depends on a parliamentary vote to be held on Tuesday. Anti-government demonstrations, driven by public anger over perceived political cronyism and corruption in the South Caucasian country, led to Sarkisian’s resignation a week ago.
Pashinyan has received the support of all opposition parties in parliament, who hold 47 seats in the 105-seat legislature, but he will require a majority to win.
At a meeting with the governing Republican party on Monday, as well as with the opposition bloc Way Out, Pashinyan said that a vote for him would be a vote for an end to the crisis.
“I think this is a unique and great opportunity to resolve the domestic political crisis and to register the victory of the people, the kind of victory in which there are no losers,” Pashinyan, a former journalist turned lawmaker, said.
After a break during the day, protests restarted in Yerevan towards the evening, with a column of demonstrators marching to the capital city’s main square.
Speaking with journalists on Monday, Pashinyan said his main project as interim prime minister would be to organize new free and fair parliamentary elections for the post of prime minister.
Earlier, he was engaged in high-stakes talks with the ruling party.
He swapped his trademark khaki-colored T-shirt for a smart business suit to hold negotiations with all political forces, including the ruling Republican Party whose support is paramount for his bid to get elected Armenia's next prime minister on Tuesday.
"Our goal is to draw a line under animosity and create an atmosphere of solidarity," Pashinyan said in parliament.
The party headed by Sarkisian has yet to announce its official stance on the vote, even though a senior lawmaker, Vahram Baghdasaryan, has said it would not stand in the way of Pashinyan's candidacy.
"Today's process is very positive, it was unimaginable just a couple of days ago," a senior Republican lawmaker, Armen Ashotyan, told AFP.
"Both sides have demonstrated a constructive approach."
Speaking to AFP in an interview, Pashinyan said Armenians themselves wanted to determine the future of their country and an explosion of tensions was just a matter of time.
"People should have genuine possibilities to influence the political situation and political decisions," Pashinyan said on Monday.
"It was clear that Armenia is in the grip of a deep political crisis. For me it was obvious that the Armenian people waited for the right moment to speak up."
Observers have expressed fears that the turmoil could destabilize the Moscow-allied nation which has been locked in a territorial dispute with Azerbaijan for decades.
The European Union expressed support to Armenia in "its efforts to build a prosperous and democratic society."
Russia has urged compromise while the United States has called for "a resolution that reflects the interests of all Armenians."
