Seventeen political parties and organizations in Armenia calling for an interim government, today published a four-point plan of action they argue is the only way to extricate the country from the situation it now finds itself in.

The parties have created National Movement for the Salvation of the Homeland (NMSH) and have selected former Prime Minister Vazgen Manukyan to head the proposed new government.

They blame Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government of a disastrous military defeat in Artsakh that led to the November 9 ceasefire agreement they describe as a “capitulation document.”

They argue that the current government has been a failure across all sectors of life and that it is unable to withstand the geopolitical challenges faced by Armenia and to overcome the deepening political, social, economic and psychological crisis in the country.

The NMSH council met today in Yerevan for a strategy session.

The NMSH says it is a pan-Armenian and non-partisan initiative and that the council includes representatives of various parties, the intelligentsia and the general public.

The NMSH says it seeks a constitutional way to resolve the current crisis by creating a “transitional, anti-crisis government that will prevent the loss of Armenian statehood, carry out post-war recovery efforts, and organize elections.”

The NMSH, in its statement, argues that Vazgen Manukyan has anti-crisis management experience and can conduct effective negotiations.

The NMSH says that Manukyan will not run for the post of prime minister but will serve as the head of the interim government for one year, after which snap parliamentary elections will be held.

The NMSH says it will hold a public rally in Yerevan’s Liberty Square on December 5, at which time Manukyan will present the proposed interim administration’s agenda.