Armenian PM urges parliament not to obstruct early elections, proposes they be held in early Dec
YEREVAN. Oct 2 (Interfax) - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called on the parliamentary leaders to remove a bill on amending the law On the National Assembly's Rules of Procedure from the voting agenda.
It had been reported earlier that, in the event these amendments are adopted, this would make it impossible to dissolve the parliament if the lawmakers cannot take part in elections of a prime minister in force majeure circumstances.
"I've met with parliamentary speaker Ara Babloyan. I informed him of my position that, if this bill is not put aside and scrapped, I would have to send a message to the people and ask for their help. I am glad that common sense has prevailed and the bill was not put to vote today," Pashinyan said live on his Facebook account.
"I am calling on the lawmakers and political forces not to resort to an escalation of the tensions in the domestic political situation and not to create a new revolutionary atmosphere. Otherwise, I would have to ask for the people's help and we will gather on the square together to overcome this situation. If it turns out that the people don't help me, I would regard my further presence in the prime ministerial office as pointless," Pashinyan said.
The parliament's actions "have added some force majeure to the political situation," he said.
"In these conditions, I consider it necessary to hold early elections in the first half of December this year," he said.