Armenian political party quits ruling coalition amid crisis
YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia's Dashnaktsutyun political party said on Wednesday it was formally leaving the governing coalition amid a political crisis and favoured early elections.
It announced its decision after police took up positions in the centre of the Armenian capital as tens of thousands of people protested against the ruling elite and the acting prime minister suggested new parliamentary elections to defuse the political crisis.
The government-loyal Dashnaktsutyun Party won 6.57 percent of the vote in an election last year and has seven of 105 seats in the country's parliament.
"...We're abandoning the ruling party and announce that the country's parliament must choose a prime minister who has the people's trust," it said in a statement.
"The new prime minister must resolve the internal political crisis and in democratic conditions ensure early parliament elections."
(Reporting by Hasmik Mkrtchyan; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
