Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday vowed to push through a new constitution at all costs, including calling snap elections if he fails to secure support from either of the two opposition groups in parliament, which have said they will not support a new constitution because it is being dictated from Baku. Speaking to reporters, Pashinyan said that he would first attempt to reach an agreement with the opposition groups, whose leaders have been either indicted or are in prison in his campaign to quash any dissent or opposition. “We will try to convince our colleagues in the opposition that this is a very important issue. If that does not work, then we will pursue other scenarios—which could include holding snap elections. And who said that such a scenario is ruled out?” Pashinyan said Thursday. Possibly, Pashinyan believes that in the event of snap elections, he would have neutralized the opposition and he would secure the majority needed to push through a new consitution. His Civil Contract party did not secure a constitutional majority in the last parliamentary elections. Both Pashinyan and the Justice Minister have assured that the draft of the new Constitution will be published by the end of the year. The document will then become the subject of public discussion, before being submitted to parliament. Adopting the draft requires the support of at least 70 lawmakers. The Civil Contract party holds 64 seats, meaning the ruling force is short by six votes. The two parliamentary opposition factions have repeatedly stated that they “will not vote in favor of a Constitution imposed by Aliyev.” The secretary of the Strong Armenia faction on Thursday reaffirmed his political force’s position. “Armenia should not change its Constitution at the behest of any external power—in this case, Ilham Aliyev. We oppose changing the Constitution to satisfy Aliyev’s demands,” said Tigran Abrahamyan. In response to a question from Azatutyun.am on whether there could be any scenario in which a lawmaker from the Strong Armenia faction might align with that agenda, Abrahamyan replied: “Our faction maintains the position that Armenia should not amend its Constitution at the behest of any external power.” Pashinyan and his allies have already said that the primary change in the draft Constitution will not contain a reference to the Declaration of Independence. This is precisely the point being forced by Aliyev as a precondition for signing the peace treaty. The Armenia Alliance, the other parliamentary opposition group, is staunchly opposed to removing the reference to the Declaration of Independence from the country’s fundamental law. “This is a clearly articulated demand from Azerbaijan. How many times do they have to say it? They are compelling Pashinyan to amend the Constitution,” said Armenia Alliance secretary Artur Khachatryan. “Instead of strengthening the country’s resolve, Pashinyan is attempting to act as an intermediary between Azerbaijan and the Armenian people, pressuring the latter to fulfill Azerbaijan’s demands,” Khachatryan added. Pashinyan on Thursday reiterated that the decision to adopt a new Constitution has nothing to do with Azerbaijan. Yet, in a now infamous interview from February 2024, Pashinyan himself—using the analogy of a “red cloth and a bull”—stated that unless the Declaration of Independence is discarded, war will ensue. Around that same time, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan also confirmed that Azerbaijan perceives issues within Armenia’s Declaration of Independence. Although both Pashinyan and Mirzoyan said that the Armenian side also identifies problems within Azerbaijan’s Constitution, no Armenian official currently speaks about this. Instead, Pashinyan announced Thursday that he and Aliyev had discussed the Constitution issue two months ago in Bishkek. “I told the Azerbaijani side that questions regarding our Constitution are being raised by Azerbaijan, even though this is a matter of our internal agenda,” Pashinyan claimed to have said to Aliyev. Pashinyan went on to say that Aliyev had acknowledged that this is a domestic matter for Armenia, while simultaneously stressing that their political stance on the matter would remain unchanged. Beyond maintaining this position, Baku has also publicly expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that Armenia is dragging its feet on the issue. A member of the Azerbaijani parliament—who also serves on the Foreign Relations Committee—wrote on X Wednesday that he is “concerned,” adding that, in their view, “Armenia has no desire to remove territorial claims against Azerbaijan from its Constitution.” Pashinyan emphasized Thursday that the adoption of a new Constitution was part of both his pre-election platform and the government’s program. He would not abandon this commitment simply because it happens to align with Baku’s agenda. Pashinyan went even further, declaring that if he fails to achieve the adoption of a new Constitution and the signing of a peace treaty, he will consider his political mission to be at an end. “I believe that if the people of Armenia wish to see this commitment fulfilled, then it must be carried out together with the people. If the people of Armenia do not see [the value in] fulfilling this commitment…,” said Pashinyan. The post Pashinyan Vows to Adopt New Constitution at All Costs, Including Snap Elections appeared first on Asbarez.com .