Armenian president receives PM, government's resignation

YEREVAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan submitted on Monday the resignation of his government to President Armen Sarkissian, reported the website of the Armenian government.

According to the constitution of Armenia, the government should resign on the same day when a new president takes office, and the parliament will elect a new prime minister who will form a government.

The cabinet members will continue to be in office until a new government is formed.

The nomination for the candidacy of the new prime minister that will now hold the real executive power in the country will be made until April 16. Armenia's parliament will elect on April 17 the new prime minister who will then form a new cabinet within fifteen days.

Sarkissian was elected president by the parliamentarian majority on March 2, which was the start of Armenia's transition from a semi-presidential system of governance to a parliamentary one based on constitutional changes in 2015.

This transition was completed on Monday as the country's third president Serzh Sargsyan's term came to an end and Sarkissian became the 4th head of the state. Sarkissian will be president for seven years, although his role will be largely ceremonial. Enditem