The three parliamentary forces – the Republican Party, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun, Prosperous Armenia Party and Yelk bloc– will not nominate candidates for Prime Minister after incumbent PM resigns.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made the announcement in front of thousands of supporters next to the National Assembly building.
The statement follows over two-hour talks with parliamentary forces.
Pashinyan said earlier today he would resign from the post. He explained that after the resignation the Parliament will have seven days to elect new Prime Minister. Should it fail to do so, it will have to hold another vote in seven days.
“If the National Assembly fails to elect new Prime Minister after a second attempt, this will lead to early parliamentary elections,” Nikol Pashinyan told said.
He believes that early elections are the only way to solve the political crisis in the country, as the current National Assembly does not represent citizens.
Nikol Pashinyan is planning to hold snap elections in the first half of December.
The Prime Minister called out several thousand demonstrators to challenge the amendments to the National Assembly’s Rules of Procedure that would essentially make it impossible for Pashinian to dissolve the Parliament and call a new election.
Considering that Armenia will host the Francophonie Summit October 7-12, Nikol Pashinyan will consult with some of the heads of Francophonie countries, as well as international partners before announcing his resignation.
