Acting Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan has just released a statement saying that only the parliament can elect the country’s next prime minister, calling for cooler heads to prevail and for a negotiated solution to the current political impasse.

“We all understand the need for immediate and practical solutions to overcome the political crisis, however difficult this might appear,” Karapetyan writes.

 Note: Today, throughout Armenia, people are protesting yesterday’s failure by the National Assembly to elect Nikol Pashinyan prime minister. Pashinyan, the “people’s candidate” lost the election 56-45. All 56 opposing votes were cast by the Republican Party of Armenia. After the vote, Pashinyan called on his supporters to relaunch their acts of civil disobedience on an even greater scale intending to paralyze the country. The National Assembly will vote again next week. (The original tally of 55 opposing votes released by the National Assembly was incorrect. After the tally, one MP said his ballot against Pashinyan wasn't counted.)