Serj Tankian lauds Armenia elections as "momentous occasion"December 10, 2018 - 11:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian has lauded the snap parliamentary elections held in Armenia on Sunday, December 9, describing the day as a "momentous occasion in Armenian history." My Step alliance led by Armenia's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has secured a convincing victory in Sunday's snap parliamentary election, with 70.43% of all the ballots cast in their favor. "The people of Armenia have made their voice heard loud and clear so much so that the previous ruling parties (the RPA and ARF in Armenia) couldn’t even garner the 5% threshold to enter Parliament! This will give acting PM Pashinyan the mandate to follow through with further reforms and pursue programs to create much needed economic development within the country," the artist said in a Facebook post. "Entities, previously protected by the state, who have been involved in flagrant corruption and injustices enacted upon citizens of Armenia for years will be brought to justice or pay their dues." According to Tankian, the Armenian diaspora can no longer be "a distant viewer" waiting to see what will happen. "It happened. It’s time to participate in the enrichment of our homeland," he said. "This is truly a momentous occasion in Armenian history and a victory we should cherish." On Sunday, Tankian and former lawmaker Armen Ashotyan from the Republican Party of Armenia traded verbal blows, as the former described the former ruling authorities as a "corrosive, unjust, corrupt regime." Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |