YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Opposition leader Nikol Pashinian remained adamant in demanding Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian’s resignation on Thursday, holding more protests and urging supporters to continue to block streets across Yerevan.
“Our revolution is unstoppable, our victory is inevitable because the atmosphere in Armenia has changed and the people no longer want to live in the Armenia that existed 15 days ago,” Pashinian told thousands of mostly young protesters who again gathered in the city’s Republic Square.
Pashinian claimed that the victory of his “velvet revolution” is imminent. At the same time he renewed his calls for government employees and even police officers to join the protests.
The Civil Contract party leader also called for a “total blockade” of streets of the Armenian capital which he said should start the following morning. His supporters have regularly shut down traffic in downtown Yerevan since the daily protests began a week ago.
Although Pashinian told the crowd to go home after wrapping up the rally late in the evening, dozens of cars carrying protesters started circling the vast square and honking their horns in support of their demands. They left the square half an hour later.
Earlier on Thursday, more than a hundred protesters were detained and kept in police custody for several hours. The police accused them of disrupting public order.
Meanwhile, the governing body of the ruling Republican Party headed by Sarkisian held a weekly meeting just a few hundred meters away. The Republican Party of Armenia spokesman, Eduard Sharmazanov, reaffirmed afterward its offer of “political dialogue” extended to Pashinian.
“We are ready to listen to the views of our political opponents and other citizens,” Sharmazanov told reporters. “We have no enemies in this country,” he said. “Everyone is our fellow citizen, our brother and sister.”
Sharmazanov would not be drawn on possible concessions to the opposition, saying that Pashinian must drop his “maximalist” demands first. He said while the authorities are intent on effecting “systemic changes” in the country Sarkisian’s resignation is out of the question.
The ARF has given ammunition to all the Soviet indoctrinated anti-ARF masses….congratulation!
IT IS NOT ABOUT SARGSYAN RESIGNATION ONLY IT IS THE HHK RESIGNATION AND IT WILL HAPPEN REST ASSURES SHARMAZANOV AND YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST DICTATOR IN THE WORLD THAT SAID THAT , KO NMAN B..I TXERKE ENKAN EN KANSERVA EXEL.
I believe some of these people have 3rd world inferiority complex, they want blood and destruction, they do not see the constructive job that ARF is doing for the sake of all Armenians, their approach is cooperation not confrontation.
Nonsense. No amount of wishful thinking can change the fact that they’ve succumbed to power and greed. You can sugarcoat any pie in the sky theory but the truth is self evident. The oligarchs and their cronies are still in firm control and the people continue to emigrate in unprecedented rates. The so-called virtue of patience you advocate is too little too late. The damage marches on.
Somebody should investigate who’s financing Pashinian, foreign hands may be involved to destabilize Armenia, the way they destabilized Ukraine, Syria and others… Armenia is on the right track, Patience is a virtue.
I POSTED IT YESTERDAY AND WONDER WHY IT IS NOT SHOWN.
IN ANY CASE TO CUT THE LONG STORY SHORT I SHOULD SAY THAT THIS CORRUPTED GANG OF THE EX PRESIDENT NOW PRIME MINISTER MUST BE ENDED PEACEFULLY AND I SALUTE AND CONGRATULATE THE FELLOW ARMENIANS IN ARMENIA WHO HAVE THE COURAGE AND HEROISM TO PROTEST PEACEFULLY AND STAND UP AND AGAINST A GOVERNMENT WHICH USES VIOLENCE AND IRON FEAST AGAINST ITS PEOPLE.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH WITH A REGIME OF CORRUPTION, INJUSTICE, PROSECUTION, BRIBERY, FINANCIAL SCANDALS, SOCIAL INSECURITY, UNEMPLOYMENT, MANIPULATION AND DISGRACE.
THIS GANG SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE AND SHOULD BE GIVEN A FAIR TRIAL AND IF CHARGED THEY SHOULD PAY I FULL FOR THEIR CRIMES AGAINST THE COUNTRY AND ITS PROUD PEOPLE.
ՄԻԱՑԵՔ, ՀԱՅՐԵՆԻՔԻ ԶԱՎԱԿՆԵՐ,
ՊԱՅՔԱՐԻ ԺԱՄԸ ԵԿԵԼ Է,
ՄԵՐ ԴԻՄԱՑ ԿԱՆԳՆԱԾ Է ԲՌՆԱԿԱԼԸ,
ՍԱԿԱՅՆ ՆՐԱ ԺԱՄԵՐԸ ՀԱՇՎԱԾ ԵՆ: