Thousands of Armenians have taken to the streets in Yerevan to support Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after lawmakers from the former ruling party passed a motion, hindering Pashinyan’s plans to hold snap parliamentary elections.

Protesters have now burst into the yard of the National Assembly, while Pashinyan has gone inside to negotiate with the lawmakers over.

Addressing the crowd, the Prime Minister said all the ministers from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Tsarukyan bloc - besides deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan - have been relieved of their duties.

He said he will soon resign, after which the National Assembly will fail to elect a new PM twice, which, in turn, will lead to the dissolution of the parliament.

Afterwards, he will remain the acting Prime Minister and will be re-elected in the event of winning a corresponding mandate.

Earlier on Tuesday, October 2, the parliament passed a bill to allow the suspension of sessions in case of unforeseeable circumstances or in case MPs were prevented from voting. The session will resume only after the impeding circumstances are eliminated

Pashinyan told demonstrators that those who have voted in favor of the new motion are “anti-revolutionaries”.

Pashinyan came to power in May after weeks of protests which forced former Prime Minister and long-time ruler Serzh Sargsyan to resign. The movement has since been called "the velvet revolution."