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Armenian lawmakers have voted to lift martial law ahead of early parliamentary elections scheduled for June.

Parliament introduced martial law in September when war broke out with Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The conflict that erupted on September 27 was brought to a halt by a Russian-brokered cease-fire signed on November 10, ending six weeks of hostilities in which thousands of soldiers were killed.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian last week agreed to hold early general elections in June in an effort to defuse a political crisis sparked by Armenia’s defeat in the war.

The lifting of martial law was backed by 118 lawmakers in the 132-seat parliament.

With reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and RIA Novosti