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Acting Armenian PM calls for snap parliamentary elections

Karapetyan also admitted that opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan may secure victory in the polls

Karen Karapetyan Artyom Geodakyan/TASS

Karen Karapetyan

© Artyom Geodakyan/TASS

YEREVAN, April 25. /TASS/. Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan has called on the country’s President Armen Sarkissian to hold snap parliamentary elections.

Karapetyan admitted that opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan may secure victory in the polls.

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"This is a deadlock situation. Pashinyan declares that the acting premier should be a candidate of the people, and he is the one. I asked the country’s president to seek advice of political forces and set new parliamentary polls. If Armenia’s citizens want to elect Pashinyan, he will become the prime minister," Karapetyan said.

Earlier, the opposition leader said would not back early elections unless a candidate of the people became the prime minister. On Wednesday, Pashinyan and Karapetyan are expected to launch talks. However, on Tuesday evening Pashinyan refused to hold dialogue and called to continue protests.

On Monday, Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, who was elected to this post by the parliament on April 17, resigned amid mass protests that started on April 13. First Deputy Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan became acting prime minister on April 23.

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