President Armen Sarkissian announced his resignation on Sunday, saying that his largely ceremonial powers prevent him from influencing political and economic processes in the country. His successor is to be elected the Armenian parliament controlled by Civil Contract.
Pashinian indicated on Monday that he will replace Sarkissian by a figure loyal to him. But he did not name any candidates for the post.
“There is no decision yet,” said Eduard Aghajanian, a senior lawmaker from the ruling party. “Different possible candidates are being discussed.”
“The discussions will continue until a decision is made within [legally] defined time frames,” he told a news conference.
Aghajanian did not confirm media reports saying that Pashinian wants his chief of staff and longtime loyalist, Arayik Harutiunian, to become the new president of the republic.
Some commentators have speculated that the vacant post could be offered to the leaders of other parties currently supporting the government in one way or another. Edmon Marukian of the Bright Armenia Party is said to be one of them.
Marukian insisted on Thursday, however, that he has not received such offers from Pashinian.
The two opposition parties represented in the current National Assembly are also allowed to nominate a presidential candidate. It is not yet clear whether they will do so.
Under the Armenian constitution, the president must have been a citizen of only Armenia and resided in the country for at least six years preceding his or her election.
An Armenian investigative publication, Hetq.am, claimed on Monday Sarkissian violated this requirement. It said that he remained a citizen of the Caribbean island country of Saint Kitts and Nevis “not long before being elected president in March 2018.”
Sarkissian, who reportedly left Armenia before his resignation, has not yet directly reacted to the report.