MPs working on snap election option without Pashinyan's resignation

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia's ruling My Step bloc is considering draft amendments to the Constitution, which, if adopted, would make it theoretically possible to hold early elections without the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armtimes.am said Monday, January 25.

According to the report, the lawmakers want to change Article 92 of the Constitution, which would allow holding snap parliamentary elections in the event of a decision to dissolve the National Assembly, if the measure is approved by at least ⅗ of the deputies.

Under the current Constitution, the PM must resign for early elections, and no new head of government should be elected at the next two sessions. However, the Armenian opposition refuses to not nominate a candidate, which theoretically does not rule out the election of a new PM if some MPs from the ruling bloc decide to vote in favor of the opposition. The amendment, meanwhile, will allow Pashinyan to continue holding his post until the election of a new Prime Minister.

In late 2020, Pashinyan announced his intention to hold snap elections to the National Assembly sometime in 2021. The PM came under fire after signing a statement with the Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side was forced to return all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.