What Happened: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan signed an agreement on Oct. 8 to hold snap parliamentary elections in December, RFE/RL reported.
Why It Matters: The deal is a step toward resolving Armenia's political turmoil, which came to a head after Armenia's parliament passed a bill making it more difficult to hold early elections. Tsarukyan wields significant power in the country's parliament, but support from the ruling Republican Party will be necessary to dissolve parliament and hold early elections.
Background: Pashinian said Oct. 2 that he would resign as prime minister to trigger early elections after forces in parliament stymied his efforts to call snap elections for December.
Read More:
- Armenia: Standoff Between Prime Minister and Parliament Could Trigger a Fresh Political Showdown (Oct. 4, 2018)
- Armenia's Protests Aren't Over (May 1, 2018)
- What Armenia's Protests Mean for Russia (April 30, 2018)
- The Armenian Protests and the Euromaidan Effect (April 24, 2018)
