Armenia premier confirms he will step down to allow election

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenia’s embattled prime minister has confirmed that he will step down from the post in April in order to allow for an early parliamentary election. Nikol Pashinyan has faced weeks of protests calling for his ouster in the wake of Armenia’s defeat in last year’s war with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In a move to defuse the political crisis, Pashinyan two weeks ago announced that an early election would be held on June 20. Under Armenian law, such elections can be held after a premier resigns and the parliament fails twice to choose a new one. Pashinyan didn’t give a specific date for stepping down.