YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. No former, present or future official will remain unpunished for stealing from the state, Armenia’s caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a campaigning rally of the My Step bloc, the political force he leads.

“After the revolution too, whatever officials will use their tools or mandate for personal interests will receive harsher punishment,” Pashinyan told a crowd of supporters in Ashtarak.

He said that the government will also pay great attention to the judiciary.

“There are numerous corrupt judges in the judiciary. The government has all tools to also carry out a revolution in the judiciary,” he said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan tendered a tactical resignation on October 16 in a maneuver to trigger the process of dissolving the parliament.

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.

Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyan’s Republican Party (HHK) still held 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.

The parliament was dissolved by virtue of law on November 1.  On the same day, President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian signed an order on calling early general election on December 9.

The incumbent parliament functions until the new parliament is elected.

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

The campaigning period kicked off November 26 with 11 political parties and blocs running for parliament.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan