On 29 March, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced his plans to resign in April in order to hold early elections. He added that he would continue to serve as the country’s interim PM until the scheduled snap elections on 20 June. 

The spokesperson of Russia’s President Dmitry Peskov commented on Pashinyan’s statement, saying that such a decision does not require immediate talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Peskov also added that the leaders of the two countries “[were in contact] recently, the contacts continue.” 

A few days earlier, Armenia’s Constitutional Court (CC) ruled that a penal code article under which the country’s former President Robert Kocharyan was being prosecuted does not comply with two articles of the country’s basic law and is, therefore, invalid. The ruling published by Constitutional Court Chairman Arman Dilanian says that Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code that concerns “overthrowing the constitutional order” runs counter to articles 78 and 79 of Armenia’s constitution that deal with the principles of proportionality and certainty in relation to restrictions of basic rights and freedoms. Kocharyan’s lawyer Aram Vardevanyan told the media after the publication of the ruling that since it comes into effect immediately, it means that there would no longer be an Article 300.1 in the Criminal Code of Armenia. 

“After promulgation of the Constitutional Court’s decision, the court needs to convene a special session in regard to the case of second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan and other ex-officials and stop the criminal prosecution that is being carried out against them under Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code. In addition, according to the law, the criminal prosecution bodies need to apologise to Robert Kocharyan and ex-officials Yuri Khachaturov, Seyran Ohanyan and Armen Gevorgyan in writing for the illegal criminal prosecution. As for the pre-trial measure, if the court doesn’t annul it at all, it needs to reduce the amount of the bail significantly,” said Kocharyan’s other lawyer Hayk Alumyan.

In the meantime, the largest parliamentary opposition party Prosperous Armenia (BHK) announced that it would take part in the expected early parliamentary elections without forming any alliances with other parties or groups. The BHK representative Naira Zohrabyan said that their party would participate in the elections according to the electoral system that the parliament majority adopts. “As for the electoral system, it is the parliament majority that determines the rules of the game here… For us it is much more important to have free and fair elections in which no administrative resources will be used,” she accentuated. 

The leader of the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement Vazgen Manukyan on the other hand told the reporters that he would not participate in snap parliamentary elections in any format. He also said that currently two process are taking place in Armenia – that Pashinyan is strengthening his administrative resource and neutralising the army. Manukyan also denied discussing if Kocharyan might be the Movement's candidate for the upcoming snap elections. “Such a thing was not discussed now this is why I cannot [say] anything. You should take into consideration that the candidate has the commitment not to become prime minister in a year. If there are people who agree to it and I see that they are able to settle the issues, I have no problem,” he replied.