Addressing Armenia’s National Assembly, where a vote to determine whether the country will have a new prime minister, Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the only announced candidate in the race so far, told legislators that while Armenia has undergone a revolution, regime change has yet to be achieved.

Pashinyan, who was swept to power in May as a result of the “Velvet Revolution”, resigned as prime minister last week in a move to trigger snap parliamentary elections. The Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) still commands a relative majority of seats in the legislature.

If the National Assembly fails to elect a prime minister today, and again in a week, the parliament automatically dissolves, thus ushering in new elections.

Pashinyan joked, saying his objective is not be elected prime minister

Describing the present state of the country, Pashinyan said that while authority rests in the hands of the people, they don’t have the means to “bring their thoughts and ideas to life.”

Touting his anti-corruption campaign, Pashinyan noted that scores of government officials have been charged with abuse of power and various infractions.

Pashinyan, who is pushing for snap parliamentary elections this December, accused his opponents of delaying the process in a futile attempt to maintain whatever power they have and hinder the government’s policies.

Talking about the October 21 mayoral election in the Syunik town of Kapan, where Pashinyan’s Civil Contract candidate Narek Babayan lost, the acting prime minister said that the revolution hasn’t yet reached Syunik and that certain criminal elements were able to manipulate the electoral process.  

Pashinyan reiterated that an investigation into the events of March 1-2, 2008 is ongoing and that all the facts regarding the post-election violence in Yerevan, that took the lives of ten people, will be revealed.