On 28 December, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan explained his move to announce snap parliamentary elections in 2021 and to hold discussions with representatives of political parties on the topic.

Pashinyan said that, under the current legislation, there is only one mechanism by which early elections can be held. The prime minister resigns, the parliament does not elect a new prime minister twice and calls early elections. Or, according to him, appropriate changes can be made, which will give the parliament the authority to call early elections. “Why [am I inviting] the political forces  for consultations? For one simple reason: it is important that this decision on the mechanism of early elections was not a decision of the government or the majority of the parliament, but made as a result of understanding,” Pashinyan said in his televised interview. 

He also stressed that he had repeatedly mentioned the possibility of holding early elections and wondered why the forces that demand the resignation of the prime minister did not seek early elections. “In the end, the fate of the power must be decided by the people, and one of the types of expression of the will of the people is elections, in the case when it becomes obvious that it is impossible to reveal the will of the people… when the opposition uses powerful financial, media and organisational resources,” Pashinyan highlighted. 

To note, on 25 December, Pashinyan expressed his readiness to hold fresh parliamentary elections next year and offered to negotiate with Armenia’s leading political groups for that purpose. “I am not clinging to the prime minister's seat, but I can't carelessly treat the post given to me by the people,” he said. Pashinyan said the fate of this position and the political leadership of the country should be decided by the people through free expression of will. “And I, as the prime minister of Armenia, consider myself the guarantor of this free expression of will. I am also ready to leave the post only by the decision of the people," Pashinyan added. He also noted that he is ready to continue to lead the Republic of Armenia in these difficult times, if the people reconfirm their trust in him. This statement was made a day after Pashinyan met with the country’s President Armen Sarkissian to discuss the political tensions in the country.

The leading opposition forces in the country rejected Pashinyan’s proposal. The Homeland Salvation Movement described Pashinyan’s move as a “manipulative attempt to deflect the public demand for the prime minister’s resignation.” The Movement representatives said that Pashinyan lost his “moral and political legitimacy” as a result of the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh and “betrayed Armenia’s national interests” and cannot hold democratic elections. “Pashinyan must step down and a transition government be formed. What takes place today is a catastrophe, we keep on handing and handing over without any negotiations and documents. Until all this is stopped it is senseless to speak about snap elections,” stated the prime minister candidate of the movement Vazgen Manukyan. He also stressed  that the snap elections would complicate the situation in the country more, as the parties would start struggling between each other. “Pashinyan specifically wants to divide the field again into parties - into those who agree and disagree. The usual trick is old-new, white-black, elite-people,” Manukyan added.

The parliamentary opposition forces in the country were also disgruntled with Pashinyan’s proposal. “The [ruling My Step] faction proved today that it cannot organise early elections. You cannot go out to campaign, and the safety of no one—including our own—can be secure. I condemn any manifestation of violence and call on all to exercise restraint. When you talk about an early election, know that it is fraught with bloodshed,” stated the leader of the Bright Armenia opposition party Edmon Marukyan. "In this parliament—and I believe that this parliament has only a few weeks left—only one issue should be discussed: the issue of dismissal, impeachment of traitor Nikol Pashinyan who handed over the homeland, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the issue of electing a new prime minister should be discussed so that we can save what is still possible to save [for] Armenia, and so that together we do not witness the cruel chapter of history when the statehood of Armenia will be destroyed. This is a historic day; we must seize the hand of the traitor Nikol Pashinyan. Otherwise, we will lose the statehood of Armenia,” stated the representative of the Prosperous Armenia opposition party Naira Zohrabyan.

Meanwhile, mass protests are still ongoing in the country. A fight took place in front of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia between the protesters and Sisak Gabrielyan, a member of the majority My Step faction of the NA. One of these demonstrators approaching the MP's car and asked: "Have you come to receive a bonus?" Gabrielyan angrily got out of his car, punching one of the protesters in the face. Afterwards Gabrielyan returned to his car and left while the protesters were throwing eggs on his car.