Armenia's president has dissolved parliament and called for new elections in December. The move is in sync with acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's plans to gain control of the legislature through snap elections.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/V. Baghdasaryan
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Armenia will hold new elections on December 9 after President Armen Sarkisian dissolved parliament on Thursday.
The move is a major victory for acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (pictured above). The 43-year-old former journalist became the former Soviet nation's interim prime minister in May after spearheading weeks of protests that lead to the resignation of his predecessor, Serzh Sargsyan. He stepped down from the post in October in order to force a snap election.
The Armenian parliament is required by law to elect a new head of government within 14 days of a prime minister's resignation. By quitting and leaving parliament unable to find a successor, Pashinian forced parliament to dissolve and hold a new vote.
"Today parliament is being disbanded for the first time and for the first time we will have early elections," Pashinian said on Thursday. "We will ensure absolutely fair and legitimate elections and the rest is in people's hands."
The outgoing parliament will continue working until the new legislature is elected.
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Pashinian's rise
When Sargsyan was elected Armenia's prime minister in April shortly after the final term of his decade-long presidency, opposition politicians denounced the appointment as an unfair retention of power.
Pashinian, who had long found it unacceptable for Sargsyan to extend his rule, headed weeks of peaceful anti-government rallies. He tapped into public anger over widespread poverty, high unemployment and rampant corruption that flourished under the old government.
The protests caused Sargsyan to step down from the post on April 23, and Pashinian, a member of the Civil Contract Party, was elected prime minister just over two weeks later.
Pashinian then began a campaign to drive veteran elites out of power in an attempt to reform the legislature. But his attempts to root out corruption have been met with resistance by Sargsyan's Republican Party, which had a majority in parliament before it was dissolved.
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Image: picture-alliance/dpa/TASS/A. Geodakyan
Sargsyan steps down
Serzh Sargsyan, who ruled Armenia for 10 years, tendered his resignation after widespread public demonstrations against his attempts to hold onto power. The Armenian government named former Prime Minister Karen Karapetian, an ally of Sargsyan, as acting premier.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M. Metzel
An unpopular move
The protests were sparked by Sargsyan's move to extend his rule. The 63-year-old was president of Armenia from 2008 until a term limit forced him out in March. But the parliament, which is controlled by ruling Republican Party, installed him as prime minister in April and curbed the powers of the president.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/PAN/D. Abrahamyan
Massive anti-government protests
The shift to a strengthened parliamentary triggered massive anti-government protests in the capital of Yerevan on April 13, with thousands of people participating in rolling demonstrations against Sargsyan. Hundreds of Armenian soldiers also joined the protests.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/TASS/A. Geodakyan
Clinging to power
The parliament's move to keep Sargsyan in power echoed a maneuver by Russian President Vladimir Putin a decade ago. Leaders in several former Soviet republics have used similar methods to remain in power.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Metzel
Acting prime minister
Acting PM Karapetian too has close ties with Russia. He worked in Russia for five years as a senior executive of state-controlled gas giant Gazprom.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/T. Mehrabyan
Jubilation
Protesters in the capital Yerevan took to the streets to celebrate Sargsyan's resignation. A day after Sargsyan stepped down, the country's opposition called for a meeting with the caretaker prime minister to discuss a "peaceful transfer of power." In this photo, opposition leader Nikol Pashinian (R) is seen in a meeting with Sargsyan on April 22, urging him to step down.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/TASS/A. Geodakyan
A blow to Russia's foreign policy
Russia, Armenia's closest ally, said on April 24 that it was not concerned about the political situation in Yerevan. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not regard Armenia's political tumult as a Ukraine-style revolt against pro-Russia politicians. However, according to analysts, Sargsyan's resignation has unsettled Russian interests in Armenia.
Image: picture-alliance/Sputnik/S. Guneev
Back to the streets
After talks with acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan were cancelled, Pashinian and his supporters took to the streets again on April 25 to demand parliament choose a "people's candidate" who di not come from the ruling Republican Party.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Geodakyan
Parliament votes for new premier
Armenia's parliament will vote for a new premier on May 1. Pashinian has said he is prepared to be a candidate, but it is unclear if he will get support. The ruling Republican Party holds a majority in parliament.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/TASS/A. Geodakyan
Pashinian is the sole candidate for the post of prime minister
As Nikol Pashinian's supporters staged further protests on April 29, the ruling Republican Party which holds a majority in parliament said it would not put forward a candidate for prime minister to stand against Pashinian. The party would not "impede the election of the people's candidate" if all three opposition factions voted for him, leader Vahram Baghdasaryan said.
Image: Reuters/G. Garanich
Nikol Pashinian - deal maker
Short of six votes, Pashinian met with other political leaders in parliament on April 30. "We are facing the task of resolving the political crisis in the country," he said. "If a prime minister is not elected tomorrow, this crisis will not disappear." The vote in parliament for a new prime minister was scheduled for May 1.
Image: Getty Images/K. Minasyan
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Capitalizing on popularity
New parliamentary elections were not to take place until 2022, but Pashinian's resignation paved the way for a new vote.
Upon stepping down, he warned that Sargsyan's loyalists would "cross the red line" if they tried to appoint someone else to the premiership, but the reformist politician had reportedly received assurances that that wouldn't happen.
On Thursday, the parliament failed to choose a new prime minister for a second time, thus allowing the president to dissolve the legislature.
With Pashinian's popularity perhaps at its peak, parties with which he is associated are expected to take control of parliament.
The My Step Alliance, which includes Pashinian's Civil Contract Party, won a landslide victory in municipal elections in September, winning 81 percent of the mayoral vote in the Armenian capital of Yeveran, where nearly 40 percent of the country's population lives.
In the meantime, Pashinian has stayed in charge as acting prime minister, saying he would serve as a "guarantor of the people's victory."
