YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. The extraordinary session of parliament kicked off for the first round of voting to elect a prime minister. Lawmakers are expected to vote down caretaker prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is re-nominated by the ruling My Step bloc, a formality required to pave way for the dissolution of parliament.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigned on April 25 – a move intended to pave way for snap election. The entire Cabinet also resigned. Holding early elections requires the dissolution of parliament, which in turn can happen when the legislature twice fails to elect a prime minister after the incumbent steps down. Pashinyan said during his resignation that his bloc will formally nominate and subsequently vote him down during both votings in order to maintain the technical requirements to disband the legislature.

The second and final round of vote takes place a week after the first one. 

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan