Armenia’s Heritage (Zharangutyun) Party says it will not participate in the June 20 snap parliamentary election to prevent the reelection of Nikol Pashinyan.

The party, founded in 202 by former Armenian Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian, did not participate in the December 2018 snap parliamentary election.

Arguing that Pashinyan is more interested in retaining power than defending Armenia, the party, in a statement released today, said that Pashinyan must step down from office, otherwise the planned election will not only not solve the problems facing the country, but will also deepen the unprecedented nationwide crisis.

“We will not take part in this act of state destruction and will not contribute to the reproduction of this person's power,” the party statement reads.

“We call on the president, political forces, other bodies and law enforcement agencies to make every effort to postpone the scheduled election, to remove the current regime that is leading the nation to ruin, to enable the forces responsible for the fate of the homeland to form a government of national accord,” the Heritage Party statement reads.

The last time the Heritage Party held seats in the Armenian National Assembly was in 2012 when it won five seats with 86,998 votes (5.78%), becoming the smallest faction.