Way Out Alliance

Way Out Alliance
«Ելք» դաշինք
Leader Edmon Marukyan
Nikol Pashinyan
Aram Sargsyan
Founded 12 December 2016 (2016-12-12)
Ideology Liberalism[1]
Pro-Europeanism
Anti-EAEU[2][3]
Armenian civic nationalism
Political position Centre[4]
Colors      Orange
National Assembly
9 / 105

The Way Out Alliance (Armenian: «Ելք» դաշինք, ԵԼՔ; YELK Dashink, YELQ) or Yelk Alliance or simply Yelk or Way Out is a liberal political alliance of three political parties in Armenia: the Civil Contract party, Bright Armenia party and Republic party. It was formed on 12 December 2016[5], before the 2017 Armenian parliamentary election. Its leaders are Edmon Marukyan (leader of Bright Armenia), Nikol Pashinyan (leader of Civil Contract, Prime Minister of Armenia) and Aram Sargsyan (leader of Republic and former Prime Minister for six months in 1999-2000).

History

On 2 April 2017 the alliance participated in the 2017 Armenian parliamentary election with Edmon Marukyan as the leader of the alliance and won 9 seats out of 105 in National Assembly.

After parliamentary elections the party participated in the 2017 Yerevan City Council election. The alliance's candidate for the Mayor of Yerevan was Nikol Pashinyan.[6] However the alliance won only 14 seats out of 65 in the Yerevan City Council and Nikol Pashinyan gave up his mandate of City Council and continued his work in National Assembly as a MP.[7][8]

The alliance did not participate in the 2018 Yerevan City Council election. Bright Armenia and Republic parties formed another alliance - Luys Alliance while Civil Contract formed My Step Alliance with Mission party. My Step Alliance won the elections and their candidate Hayk Marutyan was appointed as the Mayor of Yerevan while Luys Alliance was the third in elections and won 3 seats out of 65 in Yerevan City Council.

Luys Alliance stated that they will participate in 2018 Armenian parliamentary snap election which means that the Way Out Alliance will be dissolved after the elections.[9]

Ideology

The Way Out Alliance's ideology is based on liberalism. In terms of foreign relations of Armenia, the alliance states that Armenia's decision to join Eurasian Economic Union was wrong and had a negative impact on the country. The alliance proposed to renegotiate with the EU on signing the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement.[10]

Composition

Party Leader
Civil Contract (KP) Nikol Pashinyan
Bright Armenia (LH) Edmon Marukyan
Republic (H) Aram Sargsyan

Electoral record

Parliamentary elections

Election Votes % Seats Government
2017 122,049 7.78
9 / 105
 Opposition (2017-2018)
Government (2018-)

Local elections

Yerevan City Council elections

Election Mayor candidate Votes % Seats in City Council
2017
Nikol Pashinyan
70,730
21%
14 / 65

References

  1. ↑ Armenia 2017: An introduction to the party-political landscape European Friends of Armenia, March 2017
  2. ↑ Armenia elections: YELQ program taps army reform, EU association PanArmenian.Net, 6 March 2017
  3. ↑ Yelq Parliamentary Group Initiates Process of Leaving EAEU Lragir.am, 14 September 2017
  4. ↑ Armenians Vote as Nation Shifts Toward Parliamentary Governance voanews.com, 1 April 2017
  5. ↑ New Opposition Bloc Formed in Armenia The Armenian Weekly, 24 January 2017
  6. ↑ Nikol Pashinyan is Yerevan mayoral candidate of opposition Yelk Bloc, News.am, 7 April 2017.
  7. ↑ Nikol Pashinyan Headed for Parliament, Not Yerevan Council, hetq.am, 15 May 2017.
  8. ↑ Nikol Pashinyan decides to take parliamentary mandate, News.am, 15 May 2017.
  9. ↑ Hakobyan, Lilit. "«Լույս» դաշինքը մասնակցելու է արտահերթ ԱԺ ընտրությանը". VNews (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  10. ↑ Foreign Policy Discourse EVN Report, 16 March 2017
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