Senior security officials and ministers have resigned following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's call for them to step down and criticism of their failure to fight corruption.
Pashinyan's rule is unshakable, despite opposition attempts to organise a wave of street protests this spring over the way he is handling the long-running conflict with sworn enemy Azerbaijan.
Interior Minister Vahe Ghazaryan has resigned, as have the minister of territorial administration, the head of the Anti-Corruption Commission, the head of the Investigative Commission and the president of the Supreme Judicial Council.
The prime minister of the Caucasus state wrote on Facebook that he had "asked a number of high-ranking officials to leave their posts."
"The reasons for such a request are not personal, but systemic," he said.
During a government meeting, Pashinyan sharply criticised the work of the security services, saying they were not effectively fighting corruption.
"People need to see the results of the significant investments made in the judicial and legal system," he said.
"People are waiting for justice and justice... Corrupt individuals who should face punishment are spending their days and nights in restaurants."
Opposition leader Tigran Abrahamyan said Pashinyan's move was an attempt to "shift the responsibility for failures onto scapegoats" and "escape the negative legacy of his team" | BGNES
