On 18 March, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the holding of early parliamentary elections in the country on 20 June. 

The statement came after a meeting with the leader of the parliamentary opposition party Prosperous Armenia (BHK) Gagik Tsarukyan. “At the meeting, we stated that the best way out of the current internal political situation is early parliamentary elections,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “Taking into account also my discussions with the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, the My Step faction, the head of the Bright Armenia Party Edmond Marukyan, early parliamentary elections will be held in Armenia on 20 June of this year,” he added. 

As for Tsarukyan, he emphasised that a new government was necessary in the country. “A few days ago, I had announced that in order to get our homeland out of the current difficult situation, a new power and a new government must be formed in the country in the shortest possible time. The only legitimate way is through snap parliamentary elections. The people must decide—by their vote—to whom they will entrust the next power. Peace to the Armenian people! May God protect us all!” he wrote on Facebook. 

The leader of the Bright Armenia (LHK) parliamentary opposition party Edmon Marukyan also expressed his satisfaction with the decision, saying that the holding of elections on 20 June was acceptable to his party. Marukyan also announced that the martial law in the country would be uplifted in the coming days. 

Also, the leader of the opposition Fatherland (Hayrenik) party Artur Vanetsyan announced his participation in the upcoming elections “with the goal of winning and finally bringing stability to Armenia.” Responding to the question if it’s possible that the Hayrenik party would form a coalition with other forces, the party’s spokesperson Sos Hakobyan said that when the process starts, they would hold consultations with opposition political forces and will decide in what format to participate.

The European Platform for Election Observation (EPDE) emphasised that the snap elections could only be held in accordance with the reformed electoral code. "The electoral reform in Armenia – one of the main demands of the 2018 Velvet Revolution – is underway with the broad engagement of civil society experts and international organisations," the statement noted. "It is expected to improve the election system by introducing more proportional representation and increasing transparency. Yet, the current political crisis poses a serious challenge to the democratic reforms in the country,” the statement added. 

New developments regarding the case of Armenia’s former Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan had also been reported. Gasparyan’s lawyer Artur Hovhannisyan stated that Armenia's Administrative Court ruled that Gasparyan will remain in his post until a final court decision in his case. 

However, Pashinyan’s office delivered an explanation regarding the court’s decision saying that Gasparyan ceased to be chief of army's staff by virtue of law. The explanation stressed that the Administrative Court returned Gasparyan's lawsuit, filed against President Armen Sarkissian and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, on 15 March, asking him to replace several incorrect wordings. The corrected lawsuit was handed over to the court again on the same day. According to the PM’s office, in accordance with part 2 of Article 139 of the Constitution, the Administrative Court's ruling cannot overturn the presidential decree on sacking Gasparyan, which is valid by virtue of law.