Dispute With Prime Minister Since Last Year, The President Of Armenia Chose To Resign

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian. (Wikimedia Commons/President of the Republic of Armenia)

JAKARTA - Armenian President Armen Sarkissian submitted his resignation on Sunday, saying he believed the country's constitution did not give him sufficient power to influence events.

Sarkissian, who has held the presidency since 2018, clashed with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan last year over a number of issues, including the sacking of the head of the armed forces. The role of the prime minister is seen as more powerful than that of the president.

"I have been thinking for a long time, I have decided to resign from the post of President of the Republic after working actively for about four years," Sarkissian said in a statement published on the president's official website January 24, citing Reuters.

"The question that may arise is, why did the President fail to influence the political events that led us to the current national crisis? The reason is clear again, the lack of the right tool, the Constitution. The root of some of our potential problems is hidden in the current Basic Law," he continued.

In a referendum in December 2015, Armenia became a parliamentary republic, while the powers of the president were significantly restricted.

Regarding his resignation, President Sarkissian in his statement did not directly refer to certain events or issues.

Armenia agreed to a ceasefire with Azerbaijan last November on their border, after Russia urged the two countries to withdraw from confrontation, following the deadliest clashes since a six-week war in 2020 when Moscow also brokered a peace deal to end hostilities.

Prime Minister Pashinyan has since been under pressure, with regular street protests demanding he steps down over the terms of the peace agreement. Under the 2020 deal brokered by Russia, Azerbaijan regains control of the territory it lost during wars in the early 1990s.

To note, Armenia broke away from the Soviet Union in 1991 but remains dependent on Russia for aid and investment. Many Armenians accuse the government of corruption and mismanagement of an economy that has struggled to cope with the legacy of central planning.