Early Elections Must Be Completed by June 1: Marukyan

The leader of the 'Enlightened Armenia' parliamentary faction, Edmon Marukyan, believes there is a possibility to reach a consensus on holding early parliamentary elections. 'But I cannot say that there is consensus yet, because I wouldn’t want the positions of extra-parliamentary opposition forces to be excluded from the discussion. That is to say, there is a possibility of consensus among parliamentary forces, but we also need to seek consensus outside,' said Marukyan in a conversation with reporters. He noted that the authorities have the political will to conduct early elections.

According to Marukyan, it would be appropriate if the early elections are concluded by June 1. 'This means that in the next 10 days, the process of dissolving the parliament would begin,' he stated, adding, 'At this moment, we have unity that the dissolution of parliament should not be obstructed in any way. If we are dissolving the parliament now to get out of this situation, we will willingly go through that process.'

Marukyan also commented on why it is important to set deadlines for early elections. 'The crisis is so deep that a quick resolution is necessary, and the fastest timeframe to hold elections is May, by June,' he said.