The Social Democrat Hnchak Party has congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on his May 8 election as prime minister.

The message, written in Western Armenia, reads in part:

“In the name of the Social Democrat Hnchak Party’s Central Board and the entire Hnchak family, we cordially congratulate you on the happy occasion of being elected to the lofty and responsible position of Armenian prime minister.

“Without doubt, we credit the victory of the people’s movement to your unbreakable will and boundless optimism that imbued the entire Armenian nation, particularly the youth, with hope and faith towards the brilliant future of the homeland.”

The message concludes by saying that the challenges facing Armenia cannot be fixed overnight, but that the party is sure that Pashinyan will invest the same energy and resolve he did in the people’s movement to building a free, independent and democratic Armenia.