YEREVAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd March, 2021) Armenian President Armen Sarkissian will not sign a decree on the dismissal of General Staff Chief Onik Gasparyan, and, in this case, the decision will enter into force automatically under the country's constitution, the president's office said on Tuesday.
According to the constitution, the president can return a decree with his objections to the prime minister, who has requested a dismissal of a high-ranking military official, within three days. If the head of government does not accept these objections, then the president must sign the relevant decree or turn to the Constitutional Court. If the president does not fulfill these requirements, the relevant decree will enter into force automatically.
"The president of the republic decided not to sign the draft decree," the press office said.
A political crisis erupted in Yerevan after the deputy chief of the Armenian general staff mocked Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's controversial comment about the alleged failure of Russian-supplied Iskander missiles during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. This triggered a series of military dismissals. The armed forces issued a statement demanding the resignation of Pashinyan himself, the prime minister regarded this as an attempted coup and called on his supporters to take to the streets.
