The National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia has received President Armen Sarkissian’s resignation, Sputnik Armenia reports the words of Tsovinar Khachatryan, Spokesman for Parliament Speaker. Earlier today, Mr. Sargsyan announced that he was leaving his post, as his powers do not allow him to influence the country’s policy.
According to the Constitution of the country, the resignation is considered accepted after the moment of its promulgation in the manner prescribed by law. The new president of Armenia is elected by the parliament, before he takes office. President becomes the Speaker of Parliament. Now this position is held by Alen Simonyan.
Armen Sarkissian took over as president in 2018. Shortly thereafter, amendments to the Armenian Constitution came into force, according to which most of the powers belong to the prime minister. In his resignation letter, Mr. Sargsyan noted that Armenia is a “parliamentary republic in form, but not in content,” and complained about the lack of a veto.