YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The Heritage Party has issued a statement insisting on the need for immediate snap elections of parliament.

“Heritage Party expresses its concern over the situation around the National Assembly of Armenia. Being within the people, we once again insist on the need for holding immediate early elections of parliament,” the party said in a statement.

On October 2, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on his supporters to rally outside the parliament building after Republicans convened an extraordinary session to adopt a bill on amending the rules of procedure of the parliament. The Tsarukyan and ARF factions supported the bill. The Yelk faction disapproved the bill.

PM Nikol Pashinyan fired ministers from his Cabinet representing the Tsarukyan and ARF factions.

The controversial bill is an amendment to the Rules of Procedure law of the parliament, whereby in the event of a parliament session being unable to be held because of lack of quorum, or if lawmakers are anyhow prevented from participating, it will be considered interrupted rather than failed, with a possibility of resuming at a later date. The aim of the bill is apparently a limitation of possible circumstances of dissolution of parliament.

Thousands rallied outside the parliament building, where MPs were literally besieged.

The PM entered the building to hold negotiations. After more than an hour of talks, he exited the building and said “Today we showed that early elections are a pan-Armenian demand and the political forces that will oppose this political demand declare war against their own people. My impression is that our colleagues from the HHK, ARF and Tsarukyan factions realized this message.”

The Prime Minister also said he will resign in order for snap elections to take place as soon as possible.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan