YEREVAN — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian says that early general elections will be held on June 20, following talks with the leader of the opposition parliamentary faction Prosperous Armenia.
He and Gagik Tsarukian acknowledged during their meeting that the snap elections were “the best way out” of the ongoing political crisis, Pashinian wrote on his Facebook account on March 18.
“Taking into account my discussions with President [Armen Sarkisian], the My Step faction, the leader of the Bright Armenia faction Edmon Marukian, early parliamentary elections will be held in the Republic of Armenia on June 20,” he said.
The opposition has been pushing for Pashinian to resign after the defeat suffered by Armenian forces last year against Azerbaijan in fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh.
A coalition of opposition parties has been holding anti-government demonstrations in Yerevan and other parts of the country in a bid to force Pashinian to hand over power to an interim government.
Pashinian, whose My Step faction dominates parliament, has refused to step down but had hinted at accepting early parliamentary elections under certain conditions.