ARMENIA’S Republican Party has lost its parliamentary majority after MP Samvel Aleksanyan announced he was leaving their faction, paving the way for snap elections.

His departure means the former ruling party has 52 of the 105 seats in the Armenian parliament. He has not commented on his departure, which was confirmed by party spokesman Vahram Baghdasaryan.

Mr Aleksanyan is one of Armenia’s richest people and his resignation from the Republican Party faction comes just a week after a supermarket chain owned by his family was accused by the National Security Service of large-scale tax evasion.