Pashinyan announces snap election for 20 June

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that Armenia will hold early parliamentary elections on 20 June. He made the announcement after consultations with the parliamentary factions.

Pashinyan said he would resign in April to launch the procedure. Parliament will then twice fail to elect a new head of government, which under the Constitution leads to the dissolution of the National Assembly.

The snap election is a compromise after the political crisis that followed defeat in the Karabakh war. The opposition had demanded the prime minister's resignation and a transitional government.

The ruling Civil Contract party said it would contest the election led by Pashinyan.