ArmInfo. Regardless of its outcome, the political clash between "My Step" and "Prosperous Armenia" is unlikely to significantly strengthen the positions of the involved parties in the near future. Former head of the Artsakh Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Arman Melikyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
On June 16, with 87 votes for, the parliamentary majority - the My Step bloc deprived head of the Prosperous Armenia party Gagik Tsarukyan of parliamentary immunity, allowing criminal prosecution against him. A little later, the National Assembly of Armenia voted in a secret ballot "for" the satisfaction of the motion, submitted by Prosecutor General Artak Davtyan, for Tsarukyan's arrest. Tsarukyan's Party and Bright Armenia did not take part in the secret ballot. According to the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, a MP can be deprived from parliamentary immunity if at least 67 lawmakers support the motion.
"In my opinion, it's too early to talk about repeating the scenario of 2015 with Gagik Tsarukyan. In 2015, the denouement came quickly enough. Mr. Serzh Sargsyan duirng the RPA's meeting clearly outlined for what Mr. Tsarukyan was personally obliged to him, and then his party members raised their voices in unison. Tsarukyan with the other "prosperous" members silently and most importantly, without financial losses, returned to their previous positions. Thus, the process of consolidating the opposition forces completely failed. I consider the implementation of a similar scenario quite unlikely today, "he said.
According to Melikyan's forecasts, various forces that are opposed to the incumbent government are quite capable of using other pretexts for pressing the power and Prime Minister Pashinyan personally. However, in his opinion, today all these forces have no potential to bring the masses to the streets. And in such circumstances, they can rely on the departure of the government solely through a conspiracy.
"I can predict that the participants in the current confrontation will try to use the entire arsenal at their disposal against each other. Rhetoric and mutual accusations will be toughened up. Of course, the authorities have an undeniable advantage over the opposition, at least logistical. I consider the change of leadership of the NSS and the Police in this context, " Melikyan concluded.