Armenia premier confirms he will step down to allow election

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021 file photo, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrives at the main square in Yerevan, Armenia. Armenia's embattled prime minister has confirmed that he will step down from the post in April in order to allow early parliamentary elections. Nikol Pashinyan has faced weeks of protests calling for his ouster in the wake of Armenia's defeat in last year's war with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In a move to defuse the political crisis, Pashinyan two weeks ago announced early elections would be held on June 20. “I will resign in April — not to leave power, but to hold early parliamentary elections, I will continue to act as prime minister” as head of the Cabinet, Pashinyan said in a meeting with residents of the village of Aragats on Sunday, March 28, 2021 . He did not give a specific date for stepping down. (Stepan Poghosyan/PHOTOLURE via AP, File)