YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. 729 Armenian citizens living abroad will cast their ballots electronically in the upcoming general election, Central Electoral Commission Chairman Tigran Mukuchyan said at a session today.

He said that the commission has received the information from the passport and visa department of Armenia’s police, which said that they have received info about the voters from the foreign ministry and defense ministry. “253 voters were presented by the foreign ministry list, and 476 voters by the defense ministry list,” he said.

Special envelopes have been made for the voters abroad.

“An electronic voting guideline is placed in the envelope. It will start at November 30, 08:00 Yerevan time, and will finish at 20:00 December 2,” he said. The results will be recapped by commission members through a coding system.

Citizens of Armenia who are entitled to vote from abroad are – diplomats and their family members, military servicemen stationed abroad and their family members, employees of representations of legal persons registered in Armenia and their family members.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigned on October 16 to trigger the process of disbanding the parliament.

Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyan’s Republican Party (HHK) still has most seats in the 105-seat parliament. Since taking office, Nikol Pashinyan has numerously said that the incumbent parliament doesn’t represent the people and that early elections should take place as soon as possible.

In accordance to the Constitution, when a Prime Minister resigns the parliament must elect a new PM within two weeks. Lawmakers deliberately failed to elect a new PM as a formality in order to pave the way for dissolution.

The last round took place on November 1 and the parliament was dissolved by virtue of law.

Later on the same day, President Armen Sarkissian signed an order on dissolving the parliament and calling early elections on December 9.

The parliament will function until the new parliament is elected.

The government is formally a caretaker government until a new government is formed after the election.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan